


Malevolence

by theScrap_Witch



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Possession, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27869809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theScrap_Witch/pseuds/theScrap_Witch
Summary: Malice is eternal. No matter what hero rises, it shall always return.Malice is unforgiving. It will never forget those that have wronged its Master.Malice is infectious, and wolves should beware what they bite.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe)
Comments: 343
Kudos: 350





	1. Chapter One

There was something comforting about the way Legend and Warriors bickered. A predictable rhythm that they fell into whenever there was a lull in the group’s adventure. Hyrule half-listened as they slung insults and arguments at each other, refusing to quit until one of them had earned the last word.

“You just don’t want to admit you’re wrong,” said Legend.

“I’m not wrong,” Warriors snapped back. “You’re just too blinded by your outdated way of thinking to truly understand what I’m saying.”

“What are they talking about this time?” Four asked Hyrule.

He shrugged. “No idea.”

They had just finished setting up camp in the woods. North Akkala region, that’s what Wild had said the area was called when they’d landed in his world. “There’s a stable we could stay at, but that’s a long walk away,” the champion had explained. “There’s also the Sheikah lab, but I don’t think Robbie would have space for all of us.”

“Here will be fine,” Time had said.

Hyrule agreed. There was a river not far away for fresh water, and Wild’s slate was filled with more than enough food. Habit made Hyrule scan the immediate land for monsters, but the only other living things he’d seen were animals: a fox dashing across their path, a squirrel watching them all warily from high up on a tree. The last few world-shifts had been a rush of battles against infected moblins and lizalfos. No serious injuries, but Hyrule had healed enough gashes and broken fingers to leave him feeling drained of magic. A rest was a rare treat, and greatly needed.

Everyone was grateful for the break. Sky had found a comfortable spot in the grass, whittling knife in hand. Wild was going through his slate, trying to decide what to make for dinner. Wind was bombarding Time with questions, which the oldest hero was doing his best to answer patiently while he polished his armour. Four was laying on his back in the grass, taking advantage of the peaceful moment to attempt reading another chapter of his book. And Twilight was watching Warriors and Legend continue their friendly bickering with a wry smile on his face.

“ - the dumbest thing I have ever heard.”

“You’ve never even tried it! How can you condemn something you’ve never tried before?”

Twilight shook his head. “All right, I’ll ask: What are you two arguing about now?”

Both Legend and Warriors paused their bickering and turned to Twilight. “Whether it’s ethical to use cuccos as a weapon in war,” they both answered at the same time.

Hyrule could not have heard that correctly. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You wouldn’t!” Sky was so shocked he dropped his knife. “Warriors, how could you?”

“It was a necessary evil, Sky.”

“But those poor birds!”

“Screw the birds!” said Legend, “Think of the other soldiers. Forced to sleep in camps alongside those feathered monstrosities, knowing that at any moment they could turn on them.” He shuddered. “Have those men not suffered enough in war?”

Warriors crossed his arms. “I’ll have you know, Legend, that the cuccos in my world were highly trained and very obedient.”

“Yeah, to Linkle,” said Legend. “But what happens once she’s gone? Or, if they think someone has insulted her? You’re inviting trouble keeping them in your ranks.”

“You two have been arguing about _this_ for the past hour?” said Twilight.

“Yeah,” said Legend.

“What else would we have been arguing about?” said Warriors.

“You asked,” said Time, not bothering to look up from his task.

Twilight sighed. “You’re right, I did. My mistake.”

_If I could live in a moment forever, it would be now,_ thought Hyrule. His friends - brothers - around him, safe and laughing. A belly full of food with the promise of more later. The land, wild and beautiful, stretched out before him, inviting the wandering hero to explore. The leaves looked like rubies and gold against the blue sky, the warm air soft on Hyrule’s skin. Every so often a breeze would travel though the camp and gently ruffle his hair.

“Is it always like this?” Hyrule asked Wild.

The champion shrugged as he tapped the screen. “I think so?” His eyes became clouded for a moment, his brow furrowed as he attempted to dig up some lost memory. “It might have looked different once. It must have. I just…can’t remember.” He tugged his hood over his eyes, trying to hide his frustration and embarrassment. “Sorry.”

“It’s beautiful,” said Hyrule. "You're whole world is beautiful."

Wild gave him a small smile. “Yes, it is.”

_He's lucky to live here_ , thought Hyrule. 

Guilt quickly followed that yearning. His world was just as wonderful and beautiful as this one! What about the hidden fairy fountains, or the quiet caves made home by old hermits? The small places of wonder that resisted even Ganon’s corruption? _I would not risk everything I am for a land I did not love_.

But still, he wished he could see more of this one.

“What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever used as a weapon?” asked Wind, drawing Hyrule and Wild back into the main conversation. The sailor was rocking back and forth while he sat, radiating never-ending energy. "And don't say cuccos. Something else."

“Bugnet,” said Four and Sky at the same time.

“A stick,” said Time, fond smile on his face.

“A bee,” said Legend.

Warriors rolled his eyes. “Oh, I see. I’m a fool for sending cuccos into battle, but a swarm of bees is acceptable.”

“Not a swarm,” Legend corrected, “Just one bee. You'd be amazed at how much damage those little guys can do.” He gave them all a smug grin. “Well? Can anyone beat that?”

“It was a question, not a competition," said Wind.

"I still won."

Wild looked up from his Shiekah Slate. “I used a soup ladle once. Does that count?”

Hyrule gave a half-hearted smile, his eyes sliding to the forest, his mind drifting away from the conversation and on to the possibilities of what could be hidden beyond those golden leaves.

_A quick peek around the perimeter couldn’t hurt, could it?_

Legend came up beside Hyrule and nudged his shoulder. “Go on,” he said.

“What?”

“I said, ‘go on’. You think we can’t all see how badly you want to explore?”

_Oops._ He hadn't meant to make it so obvious. “Are you sure?” he asked. Anxiety pricked his heart. “I’m not - I like sitting here with you guys too! I’m not trying to run away or ignore anyone, and I’m so sorry if it looks like I am, I didn’t mean - "

“Hyrule.” Twilight’s voice cut in, soft and steady. “Its okay. We know you’re just curious.”

“This area seems quiet,” said Sky, “so it should be safe for you to wander for a bit.”

“Wild did the same thing when we visited my world, remember?” said Warriors.

Legend rolled his eyes. “You’ve been itching to run around these woods since we landed here. Just don’t go too far this time.”

“Or we’ll send Wolfie after you!” teased Wind.

Their words loosened Hyrule’s heart, made it easier to breathe. “Thank you.”

Without another look back, he dashed into the unknown.

***

Hyrule made his own path through the woods and long grass. Time seemed to stop as he wandered, collecting small rocks and picking strange flowers to ask Wild about later. The air was crisp, neither too cold or too hot, free of the corruption that still stained the air in his own world.

_Wild’s worried the ruins of his home will scar, but the land is already healing what was done to it._ He’d have to find a way to tell the champion that.

A little fairy, hiding under leaves, flew up to his nose. “Hello, strange brother!” Her voice was like a bell. She giggled. “Safe, strange brother! Like you. No bottle in your hands.”

“Hello, little sister,” he said, smiling. Fairies were the one thing in Hyrule’s life that he’d always been able to trust. And while he hated that the others captured them (“Come on, ‘Rule, how else are we supposed to store their magic. It doesn’t hurt them.”) he couldn’t bring himself to explain why. _What if they decide they want to put me in a bottle too?_

The ones in Wild’s world talked differently than his, but their hearts were the same. Light and bright, skittish with strangers unless they could sense that you were one of them. “Too big, strange brother. Where your wings? Want to fly?”

He shook his head, though he was half-tempted to say yes. “Not today,” he said. _I will get lost for sure if I leave to play with her and her sisters._

“Next time! Next time!” She spun around him, glowing with happiness, her magic kissing his skin before she disappeared.

A crow called over head, tiny sparrows answering in the distance. Birdsong comforted Hyrule. He’d long ago learned to listen to birds. The more chatty they were, the less chance there was of a monster lurking nearby. When he’d first learned the fairy spell, he’d gone flying with some chickadees, falling asleep in their nest afterward. A warm memory, but one he could never share with the others. He didn’t want to start answering the list of questions that would follow it.

_You can turn into a fairy? How? When were you going to tell us this? What else can you do?_

_(what else are you hiding?_ )

No. Better to keep his secrets in his heart. Life was much safer that way.

The birdsong stopped, ripping Hyrule from his daydreaming. A twig behind him snapped, and he spun around, sword ready.

A blue-eyed wolf stepped towards him, tail wagging as it walked.

“Wolfie.” Hyrule put his sword away, relief returning. “Don’t startle me like that. Did the others send you here to keep me from getting lost?” He hadn't been walking for that long, had he?

Wolfie barked, and Hyrule decided to take that as a yes.

“I’ll go back soon,” Hyrule promised. “I just want to look at one more thing.”

Wolfie gave him a sharp look. It was an almost person-like expression, exasperated and fond and indulging all at once. Like a big brother giving into his younger sibling's ideas, even though he knew better. _Just this once,_ the blue eyes seemed to say. _Just this once, I'll let you have your way._

Hyrule grinned. “Don't worry. We won’t get lost. I know where I’m going.”

A small lie. He did not know where he was going. All Hyrule knew was that the path was calling him forward still, the land humming with life and adventure, and he could not go back to the others just yet.

Wolfie followed, staying by Hyrule’s side, sniffing the air. Falling leaves drifted around them. Together they walked in silence until they reached a part of the forest where most of the trees had lost their leaves, the ground blanketed in piles of them. Above Hyrule was a perfectly blue sky, like a lake had been stretched over his head. The remains of an old Guardian were nearby, joints clogged by some strange, purple tar-like liquid. Broken. Harmless.

Hyrule stretched, soaking up the sun on his skin, breathing in deep.

Not a cloud in the sky, not a monster in sight.

No one around to judge Hyrule for acting like a child.

“Don’t tell anyone else, okay?” Hyrule said to Wolfie, and then he jumped into the biggest pile of leaves.

Instantly, reds and golds burst into the air. Hyrule sank beneath the leaves, enjoying the soft crunching sound they made as he collapsed into them.

( _He had not done this since…since he was very, very young, almost to young to remember. There had been a woman - a mother? - with an apron wrapped around her waist, laughter on her lips. A calloused hand to help pull him back up. An old memory, or a faded dream? He wasn’t sure._ )

He was glad the others weren't there to see him acting so silly, but he’d been desperate to play in the forest since they’d first arrived. Wind might have joined in, and maybe Wild and Four (whose moods flickered as fast as his colour-changing eyes) as well. But Legend would have scoffed, rolled his eyes, and Hyrule didn’t want to disappointed someone who’d killed Ganon five times.

_I only managed once_ , he thought, glancing down at his left hand with a frown. _And even then, I messed it all up._

There was another loud CRUNCH, another explosion of leaves into the air. Hyrule sat up, looked to the side. Wolfie had decided to join in the fun. The wolf turned to Hyrule, tongue out as it panted, an odd, almost-smile of sharp teeth.

Hyrule could not help but laugh. He took a handful of leaves and threw them into the air just to watch them glide down. “I wish,” he started to say, but he wasn’t sure what he wished for. Peace? Safety? A world that wouldn’t try to kill him every second of his life? Hyrule shook his head. What he had now with the others was more than he’d ever thought he’d get.

Then again, they still didn’t know all his secrets. The curse in his blood. The power etched into his left hand.

_And they won’t ever know. I have a family now, and I want to be a part of it for as long as I can. I don’t want to mess it up by being, well, me._

“I guess we should go back to the others, huh?” said Hyrule.

Wolfie barked and started to lead Hyrule away from the leaves before suddenly stopping. His muscles went rigid, hackles rising as he sniffed the air. A long, low growl rumbled out of his throat.

Hyrule stood up as quick as he could. “What is it?”

The answer dropped down at him from the sky.

A lizalfos skull, floating in the air, soaked in black and purple ooze. It snapped its jaws at Hyrule, nearly tearing into his shoulder. Hyrule rolled out of the way. Golden leaves burnt where the liquid, dark magic dripped.

_What in Hylia’s name is that?_

Hyrule’s left hand burned gold in revulsion.

It was not the infected blood he and the others had seen in monsters on their journey. This was different. A thick, vicious liquid that writhed around the skull as though it had a life of its own. There was a scent to it that made Hyrule sick, one he could not describe. It made him think of maggots and old blood and saliva. It made him think of hunger, eternally dissatisfied.

( _It made him think of Ganon, when Hyrule had been fourteen and faced the Dark Lord alone with his sword_ )

His blade sliced through the skull, cutting it cleanly in half. It vanished in a scream.

“What was - ” Hyrule had no time to finish. Another cursed skull came charging out of the shadows.

And another, and another.

_Where are they coming from?_

Wolfie snapped at the air, snarling in frustration as the lizalfos skulls kept just above his reach. _My magic’s still too drained to try use any spells_ , Hyrule thought. The skulls spun around them of them, making him dizzy. He managed to slash at two more, and narrowly avoided getting a chunk of his arm torn off by the last one.

_ This would be a lot easier if I was taller! _

Again, the lizalfos skull spun around him, fast circles that sent Hyrule’s brains spiralling. He tried to keep his eyes locked on it, but the skull moved faster and faster, darting this way and that way until Hyrule lost sight of it.

_Dammit! Where’d it go?_

Wolfie let out a warning growl and Hyrule turned to the right. Too slow. He knew he'd made a mistake as soon as he saw the lizalfos skull an inch away from him, every crack and ooze bubble on it painfully clear. Hyrule had a horrible second to see its jagged teeth tear for his throat.

But the pain didn’t hit.

Instead, a blur of dark fur streaked across Hyrule’s vision. Wolfie lunged, fangs piercing through bone and dark magic. With the skull clamped in his jaws, he wrestled with it on the ground, ooze staining his teeth, until its power broke and the skull vanished.

“That was a little too close,” said Hyrule, rubbing his neck. “Thanks for the save, Wolfie.”

The wolf did not respond.

“Wolfie?”

A low whine was Hyrule’s only answer. Wolfie’s eyes rolled back into his head. Teeth barred, he snapped at the air, at his own fur, twisting around like a shaken rag doll. Saliva poured from his mouth.

No, not saliva.

Ooze.

The same black and purple dark magic that had tainted the lizalfos skulls.

“Wolfie?” Hyrule repeated, taking a step back, keeping his sword tight in his hand.

A howl tore from the wolf’s throat, filled with as much agony as a human scream. Then, he turned to Hyrule, fangs bared, his once blue eyes now a sickly, poisonous yellow.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyrule had killed wolves before. 
> 
> Mangy ones, exiled from their home, who thought he was easy meat. Packs of wolves, desperate for food in the winter, slobbering and snarling when they caught him in their territory. He’d stabbed and burned and done to them whatever was needed to survive without hesitation.
> 
> But he didn’t think he could kill this one.

Hyrule had killed wolves before.

Mangy ones, exiled from their homes, who thought he was easy meat. Packs of wolves, desperate for food in the winter, slobbering and snarling when they caught him in their territory. He’d stabbed and burned and done to them whatever was needed to survive without hesitation.

But he didn’t think he could kill this one.

“Wolfie,” said Hyrule, one hand raised in gesture of peace. “Wolfie, it’s me. It’s Hyrule. Remember?”

The wolf snarled as he crouched, getting ready to attack.

Hyrule wished he had his shield, but it was back in the camp with the others. _Stupid, so stupid. I should have known better. I shouldn’t have let myself believe that everything would be okay for one afternoon._ “You don’t want to do this. I know you don’t. You’re my friend.”

Not anymore. Wolfie lunged.

Hyrule rolled out of the way, springing back to his feet. _Keep him away,_ he thought, swinging his sword in a wide arc, forcing Wolfie to step back. _Sword up. Keep your distance._ He needed to buy time to think of a plan, to gather the courage he'd need to kill.

“Please, Wolfie,” Hyrule begged. “I don’t want to do this.”

A familiar blue broke through Wolfie’s yellow eyes, the two colours flickering back and forth as though at war with each other. Wolfie backed away from Hyrule, painful whining escaping his throat, ooze dribbling out of his mouth. He shook his head, snapping at his own tail.

Hyrule’s heart hurt. _My friend is still in there,_ he thought. Wolfie, who guarded them from nightmares and monsters, who would listen to midnight tears and rants without judgement, who was now paying the price for saving Hyrule’s life. _My friend is trapped in there._

Potions would not work on a beast, and neither would Hyrule’s healing magic. Wolfie was many ferocious and wonderful things, but he was still just a wolf. And there was only one thing to do when animal had lost all sense of will and reason.

_He’s distracted. If I strike now, he won’t be able to stop me._

But…but…but…

But Hyrule would not be able to live with himself if he didn’t at least try to save him.

_One of the others might know what to do._

Wolfie continued to fight with himself, the foul-smelling ooze getting matted in his fur.

_I’m sorry, Wolfie,_ thought Hyrule. _But its for your own good._ Quick as he could, he brought the flat side of his sword down on the wolf’s head. There was a sharp yelp of pain, and then Wolfie crumpled to the ground, silent and still.

Hands shaking, Hyrule kept his sword out, just in case. _Okay. I have him down. Now I have to bring him back. Then the others can help me fix this._

Doubts bubbled up in his mind, a voice not his own, a burning in his blood as it spoke.

( _Or,_ _you could finish him off now, and nothing would stop you. no one would ever have to know._ )

_No!_ Hyrule could have torn the thought from his heart. _I will not betray a friend, not for anything._

( _does he even count as a friend anymore? you don’t know if he’s still in there_ )

_He is._ Belief, stubborn and foolish, had kept Hyrule going in dark times. It kept him going now as he lifted the wolf over his shoulders. It was a struggle to stand up under the beast’s weight. It would be even harder to carry him all the way back to camp.

( _give up, hero, an old memory hissed._ )

_Never._

_***_

Hylia must have guided his footsteps, because Hyrule somehow managed to find his way back to the camp without getting lost. The peaceful atmosphere shattered the moment the others saw him.

“Stay back,” warned Hyrule as they all stood up. Ooze stained his tunic. He placed Wolfie down at the edge of the camp, as far away from the others as he could, his muscles burning from the walk. _Is it okay for him to be out for this long? Did I hit him too hard?_ “I need rope.” They needed to tie the wolf up before he woke up. Just in case.

_I’m sorry, Wolfie. I’m so sorry._

No one listened. The other heroes rushed forward, crowding around him, flinging question after question at Hyrule.

“What happened?”

“Are you hurt? ‘Rule, are you okay?”

“Is Twilight with you?”

“Wolfie!” Wild’s voice was the loudest as he pushed through the others. “Move! Let me see him!”

Too close. They were all too close. “I said, stay back!” Without thinking, Hyrule grabbed his sword and swung it in a wide arc. _What if they get bitten? Can this hurt them too? Am I only okay right now because of my magic?_

That did the trick. All of them were forced to step back, staring at him like he’d lost his mind.

“Hyrule, it’s all right.” Time had his hands out, like Hyrule was the wild beast instead of Wolfie. “You did well. You brought him back. You’re both safe now. Let us heal him.”

“He’s infected,” Hyrule said, trying to make them understand. Dimly, he was aware that his arms were shaking. All of him was shaking. Everything felt cold. “I need rope before he wakes up.” His eyes searched the camp, counting the others, making sure they’d stay far away and safe. One was missing. “Where’s Twilight?”

“He went to look for you a while ago,” said Sky. “He was worried that you might have gotten lost. You didn’t see him?”

Hyrule shook his head. _Did I pass him in the woods? Did those cursed monsters attack him too? Is he lying on the ground, bleeding somewhere?_ _This is all my fault. I should have just stayed at the camp. If I hadn’t gone exploring none of this would have happened!_

Lost in thought, Hyrule didn’t notice Warriors sneak up on his left side and pull him away from Wolfie.

“No!” Hyrule flailed, his sword nearly slicing into Warriors’ cheek. “No, don’t!”

“Breathe, breathe. It’s okay.” Warriors’ hands were firm, holding Hyrule in place so that he couldn’t move his arms. “We’re going to help him, I promise.”

“You don’t understand! He’s infected!”

“Then we’ll clean the wound,” said Warriors, his voice low and soothing. He turned to Legend. “A little help?”

“I’m moving as fast as I can!” Legend tossed aside his bag, unable to find whatever he’d been looking for, and rushed to Hyrule’s side. “Easy, ‘Rule, it’s us. It’s me. Put the sword down.” Hyrule was vaguely aware of Legend’s fingers prying the sword from his hand, the blade clattering to the ground.

Warriors tugged Hyrule back, trying to get him closer to the low fire. “Come on, Hyrule. You’re shaking. Let Legend and I make sure you’re okay. The others will look after Wolfie.”

_That’s the problem_ , thought Hyrule, his eyes glued on the champion. Wild had knelt down by Wolfie’s side. “Wolfie? Tw-Wolfie? Can you hear me?” He moved the wolf’s head, ran a hand through his dirty fur.

“Is that blood?” asked Four, peering over Wild’s shoulder.

Wild lifted his hands. Black and purple ooze stained his fingers. “Goddess have mercy,” said Wild, his face going pale. “This isn’t blood. This is malice.”

Wind yanked on Time’s sleeve. “Time, we still don’t know where Twilight is! If monsters are out there, then he could be in trouble. He could be hurt too!”

“Wind and I can search for him,” suggested Sky.

“No,” ordered Time. “Everyone will stay here.” He turned to Wild. “Do you know what’s wrong with him?”

Wild, still staring down at his hands, nodded.

“You need to tie him up,” Hyrule said again. “If he wakes up - if he bites anyone - ”

_My fault, he’s infected. My fault if that ooze takes over anyone else._

“What do you mean!” shouted Wind. “Twilight is our brother! We can’t just abandon him!”

“What the hell is malice?” asked Legend.

“Is it like a poison?” asked Four. “Does he need a certain potion? Do you need to make him an elixir?”

“Potion? But Wolves can’t…” Warriors sucked in a sharp breath, his iron grip on Hyrule loosening. “Oh, Hylia, no.”

“Are any of you even listening?” Wind started to argue again. “Twilight - ”

“ - is right here,” interrupted Warriors. His words were sharp, directed straight at Time. “Isn’t he? Twilight is Wolfie.”

Time exhaled a long, shaky breath. “Yes.”

_Oh._ Hyrule felt incredibly stupid. How had he not noticed the magic? Or the fact that Twilight and Wolfie were never in the same place at the same time? _No wonder the wolf was always so kind,_ thought Hyrule. _No wonder he was always so protective of us._

_I shouldn’t be surprised. I knew the others had secrets. I do too._

Numb filled Hyrule’s bones as another realization hit. _Twilight is infected. One of my brothers is damned, and its all my fault._ The blood in his veins burned.

( _they’ll never forgive you for this_ )

“Is that true?” said Sky.

Wild leaned over the wolf as though to shield him from everyone. “Don’t be mad at him,” he begged.

“Why didn’t he tell us?” asked Wind, hurt clear in his voice.

“How many of you already knew?” Warriors eyes flickered around the group, narrowing at Legend and Four. “Wild and Time, I can understand. But the two of you as well? How long did you know? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Is now really the time for this?” snapped Legend.

“It wasn’t our secret to share,” said Four, eyes amber red and guilty.

“He was going to tell you,” said Wild. “There was just a lot to explain and he was waiting for the right time. But he was going too.”

Time sighed and ran a hand gently across the wolf’s fur. “He didn’t want anyone to hate him for being...different.”

“That’s stupid,” said Wind, crossing his arms. “He’s Twilight. We could never hate him.”

“What does that mean, then?” asked Sky.

“He’s a shapeshifter,” said Four.

Sky shook his head. “I understand that much. It explains a lot, actually.” He and Legend shared a quick look. “But what does that mean with this, what did you call it, Wild? Malice?”

“Yes,” said Wild. “It’s an extension of the Calamity. A piece of Ganon.”

“Right,” said Sky. “A piece of Ganon that is now inside our friend. What does this mean for him? Will he be okay? Is there a way to cure him?”

All of them turned to Wild. Hyrule held his breath, praying. _Please, please, please._

Wild’s voice broke as he answered. “I don’t know.” He spun to Hyrule. “How did this happen? We aren’t close enough to Akkala Tower! There shouldn’t be any malice pools here! How did you let this happen to him?”

“Don’t yell at him, Wild,” said Legend, putting a hand on Hyrule’s shoulder. “This wasn’t his fault.”

“The attack came out of nowhere,” said Hyrule, fighting to keep his voice calm. To not throw up right then and there from the guilt that churned in his stomach. His hands were still shaking. “We weren’t that far from camp. I mean, I didn't think we were. And I didn’t leave the forest, I swear. The lizalfos skulls flew at us covered in that ooze stuff. Wolfie - Twilight used his teeth to kill one.”

_I didn’t know!_ He wanted to scream. _I didn’t know that those monsters would be there, or about malice, or who Wolfie really was! I didn’t know what biting one would do to him!_

“He must have swallowed some of it,” said Four, grimacing. “We need to turn him back.”

“Are you sure?” said Warriors, his hand now ready by his sword. “Is it safe?”

“Probably not,” said Four, “But we can’t give him any potions when he’s like this. We can’t help him unless he’s Twilight.”

“Will he still be Twilight when he wakes up?” asked Wind.

“He attacked me,” said Hyrule. “Before I knocked him out to carry him here. The malice, it was controlling him. He fought back but…” _But he was losing the fight._

“It’s a risk we will have to take,” said Time.

“Do you know how to make him transform?” Four asked Wild.

Legend was the one that answered, turning to Sky. “She could do it.”

Sky nodded, taking the Master Sword off his back. “Perhaps she’ll get rid of the malice too.”

“Goddess, I hope so,” said Wild.

“Do it,” ordered Time.

Sky placed the Master Sword against Wolfie’s paws. Immediately, the sword glowed, bright and hot as a star, filling the wolf with light. Bits of dark magic scattered from the animal form as it shifted and stretched into a Hylian appearance. Wolfie was gone, and his place was Twilight. His eyes were still closed, his breathing deep and slow, and the strange markings on his forehead (the same as Wolfie, how had Hyrule missed that?) were visible beneath his messy hair.

Except, they were no longer the only markings on his face.

Thick lines criss-crossed his skin, a black and purple colour that made Hyrule shiver. They seemed to glow as they spread down to Twilight’s neck, his chest, his hands.

( _you can’t get rid of me that easily_ )

“Shit,” said Legend.

“Why didn’t it go away?” Wild glared down at the Master Sword, then up at Sky. “I don’t understand. I thought…its supposed to be evil’s bane. Why is it still in him?”

“I don’t know,” said Sky, putting the blade away. “Perhaps this is too much, even for her? I wish I could ask…” he stopped, then shook his head. “I’m sorry. I wanted it to work just as much as you did.”

“We’ll try something else when he wakes up,” said Time, putting a hand on Wild’s shoulder. “We won’t stop until he’s cured. I promise.”

“He’ll be awake soon,” said Warriors. “We need to be ready for that. You got any rope in that bag of yours, Legend?”

“I’ve got some. Help me tie him up, ‘Rule.”

“Okay.”

Together, they propped Twilight’s back up against a tree, trapping him in an upright, sitting position. Then they bound his hands and feet, making the knots as tight as they could. Warriors took away all of Twilight’s weapons, his fur pelt, even the horse-whistle that he carried in his pocket for good luck.

“We’ll keep these safe for Twilight until we get him back,” said Warriors, handing the items to Wild. The champion stashed it all away in his Sheikah Slate.

Hyrule was finishing his last knot when he heard Twilight moan. “He’s making noise,” he told the others. “He’s waking up.” Legend pulled Hyrule back so that he stood safely within the group.

“Everyone keep your distance,” ordered Time. “Until we know what we’re dealing with, we have to keep our guard up.”

Twilight groaned. His body twitched as it began to wake. The ropes held firm, keeping his body upright against the tree. Keeping his hands and feet far away from reaching any weapons. He shook the hair out of his eyes, a gesture Hyrule had seen him make so many mornings. _Maybe the Master Sword did work. Maybe there’s nothing to worry about at all._

But when his eyes opened, Hyrule could see that they were not Twilight’s anymore. They were yellow, poisonous and vile, lit up with a sadistic glee when he saw the other heroes. Twilight’s mouth twisted into a sneer. The voice that spoke was not his.

**“Hello, heroes.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now the true angst can begin :D


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That voice. It curdled Hyrule’s blood, the tone sickeningly familiar. Deep and twisted, the edges fraying into a distant, echoing scream. 
> 
> I’ve heard that voice before. In my memories. In my nightmares. I know exactly who that voice belongs to. The name escaped his lips before Hyrule could stop it. “Ganon.”

That voice. It curdled Hyrule’s blood, the tone sickeningly familiar. Deep and twisted, the edges fraying into a distant, echoing scream.

_I’ve heard that voice before. In my memories. In my nightmares. I know exactly who that voice belongs to._ The name escaped his lips before Hyrule could stop it. “Ganon.”

“You fucking pig,” spat Legend. “How many times do we have to kill you before you stop coming back?”

**“You flatter me, Hero of Delusions, but I am only a piece of my Master.”** Twi - no, Hyrule couldn’t call that thing by his brother’s name, even if it wore his body like a puppet. This was a monster. This was Malice. **“I am merely shard of His endless power. A sliver of His loathing and contempt for all of Hylia’s creations. But you have all had the privilege of meeting Him before. You know of His terrible greatness. He remembers you, of course, and therefore, so do I."** Its horrible eyes flickered from one member to another. **"I remember each and every one of you.”**

Bile rose up in Hyrule’s throat, and he could feel the blood drain from his face as it stared at him. A quick glance at the others showed that he wasn’t alone. Almost all their faces mirrored his: a mix of disgust, loathing, barely concealed terror. Too many blood-stained memories revived by its words. Only Sky and Time were different. Time might as well have been made from stone, his eye void of any emotion, while Sky’s gaze held nothing but pity.

_He’s never fought Ganon before,_ thought Hyrule. _He’d never even heard the name before he met us. He doesn’t understand what this means._

( _what had he fought then, that made him such a hero? what could be worse than Ganon?_ )

“Give him back,” Wild demanded. His whole body shook, his words barely escaping the rage that choked them. “Give us back Twilight right now!”

Malice tilted its head to the side, pretending to consider Wild’s words. **“No.”**

“Give him back or else I’ll - ”

**“Or else what?”** It chuckled. **“Please, tell me what you’d do to this body in a vain effort to purify it. Or, better yet, carry out your threats. I promise, you’ll get no resistance from me. Torture to your heart's content. I’m not the one who’ll feel the pain, after all.”**

“We have other ways to try and cast you out,” said Time.

Warriors had positioned himself like a shield in front of Wind and Four, sword ready in his hands. He glared down at Malice. “Nor will we refuse to defend ourselves if needed. Did you think you could possess him to attack us, and that we would do nothing? Your plan has failed, monster, so you might as well give up and go. You cannot kill us tied up like this.”

**“Kill you? Hero of Traitors, I will do far worse than that. My Master dreams of you all screaming at His feet. You and your princesses and everyone else you hold close in your hearts. Wives. Grandfathers. Little sisters. Anyone foolish enough to call you friend. All shall suffer and suffer and suffer until at last He is satisfied.”**

“What is your plan then?” asked Four, eyes amethyst and cold. “You stay in there and try to learn our secrets? We’re not so easy to fool.”

**“There is nothing new for me to learn, Hero of Madness. I already know all your secrets.”**

"Then what do you want?" yelled Wild.

**"To hurt you."**

_Why is it using those names?_ thought Hyrule. He pushed the question away. _It’s just mocking us, trying to make us more upset than we already are._

( _it was working_ )

“Why are we still talking to it?” asked Wind. “Come on, Wild, make a potion!”

“Right.” Wild hurried to his cooking pot, throwing strange ingredients into the boiling water: hearty lizards and bokoblin horns. It bubbled into a thick, red liquid.

Time scooped some up into a bowl and brought it to Malice. “Drink,” he ordered.

Malice didn’t protest. It tipped back its head, drank every drop, eyes mocking them all as it did. **“A foul mixture,”** it said, smacking its lips. **“Was it supposed to accomplish something?”**

Wild cursed, then turned back to the cooking pot and summoned new ingredients: restless crickets and more bokoblin horns. Hyrule's gazed wandered away from the campfire, drifting uneasily around the borders of the camp. The forest, once so inviting and warm, had turned sinister. Shadows clung to the trees, devouring the light as they grew. Were there more malice-tainted monsters lurking behind the leaves?

( _this is all your fault_ )

“Here.” Wild shoved a bowl of bright, green liquid into Hyrule’s hands, breaking him out of his guilty thoughts.

“What is it?”

“Stamina potion. Drink it. That should bring your magic back, and then you can try…” Wild’s voice drifted off, the hands holding the bowl shaking. “Maybe you can heal him? Please?”

Hyrule swallowed back a scream as he drank. _I don’t want to touch it. I already carry Ganon’s curse in my blood. I don’t want anything else of his touching me!_ But he forced himself closer, even as Malice’s eyes seared into his skin. _For my brother,_ Hyrule told himself, gathering all his magic and courage. His right hand glowed with power, with a healing spell he’d used a thousand times on the others and himself. _For Twilight._

He placed his right hand on its forehead and pushed the power into its body. The healing magic sank in deep, like roots burrowing down into muddy soil.

_Work_ , begged Hyrule. _Please._

Nothing happened. The markings remained, decorating the skin like dark spiderwebs. The eyes stayed yellow, sneering and triumphant.

**“Is that the best you can do?”** asked Malice. **“Pathetic.”**

“I’m sorry,” said Hyrule. _Twilight, forgive me. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry._

Legend pulled him back. “You did your best,” he said, then he glared at Malice. “And you, stop looking at him like that.”

**“If my appearance bothers you so much, Hero of Delusions, then perhaps you should cut out my eyes. It would certainly make things better for you lot in the long run.”**

“What does that mean?” said Warriors.

Malice replied with a smug grin.

Legend turned Hyrule away from the monster, guiding him to the campfire to sit. “Creepy fucker,” he muttered. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” lied Hyrule, rubbing his hand, trying to ignore the fire spreading across his veins.

**“Your attempts are both pathetic and amusing,”** said Malice. **“But surface healing alone is useless. This mongrel is lost to you. I am in his bones, his flesh, his mind. His eyes and ears are mine now. All his thoughts and memories belong to me. Only his heart resists, but that too shall fall. It is only a matter of time before I devour his soul and you lose him forever.”**

Wild marched so he stood in front of Malice, his fists clenched tight. “I won’t let that happen.”

“Wild,” said Time. “Step away from him. Now.”

But the champion didn’t listen. He leaned in closer. “You won’t take him from me, you understand? I will save him.”

Malice laughed. **“Ah, yes, Hero of Failure, because you have such a successful history of saving people, don’t you?”**

Wild paled at the words and Hyrule could only imagine what he’d remembered.

“Enough,” said Sky. “Wild, come back over here.”

“Yeah, Wild, don’t listen to it.” Wind tugged on the champion’s sleeve, trying to pull him back with everyone else.

But Malice kept talking, pinning Wild in place with its terrible, glowing eyes. **“How many are dead because of you? Will you even remember this one in a month’s time? Or will your feeble brain wipe his memory away? It is a mystery why so many would die instead of you, you - ”**

The body suddenly jerked back, its mouth slamming shut. Those terrible, yellow eyes squeezed closed, and when they opened again, they were blue.

“Shut up.” A different voice, raspy and stilted, fighting for breath, familiar in the best possible way, spoke. “Don’t…talk to him like that…Don’t you ever…”

“Twilight!”

Everyone scrambled to their feet, rushing forward.

“Careful,” said Warriors, pushing Wind back. “It could be a trap.”

Wind glared up at him. “Or it could be our friend who needs help!”

Wild ignored all of them and knelt down in front of Twilight. “Twi?” he said.

Twilight took in a deep breath, pain thick in every word. “Not your fault…Cub…”

“You’re still in there." Wild's lips curled into a wobbly smile. "I knew it. I knew you’d never give up so easily.”

Twilight gave them all a weak grin. “Sorry…can’t…trying…”

“We know, Pup.” Time knelt beside Wild and reached out.

“Old man," said Warriors, "Don't!"

But Time ignored the warning and ruffled Twilight’s hair. “This isn’t your fault either, Pup. There’s no one to blame but Ganon.”

Hyrule’s blood hissed.

( _they love him so much. they love him more than they care for you. and they will never forgive you if they ever find out the truth_ )

Hyrule shook his head. _I will take all their blame and hatred if it means we can save our friend._

“I’m…fighting…hurts…”

“Give ‘em hell in there, rancher,” said Legend. “Make that bastard sorry it ever thought of possessing one of us.”

“Help…” Twilight looked at all of them, eyes pleading. It crushed Hyrule’s heart to see him so desperate and broken. “Help…please…”

“We will,” said Hyrule. _I swear on the Triforce, I will fix what I've done. I will save my brother. I will not lose the one family I have._

Twilight slumped forward, the ropes holding him in place. “Cub…”

“Don’t worry about me.” Wild brushed some of the hair away from Twilight’s eyes. Tried to make his smile brighter. “I’ll be fine, so don’t worry. Focus on yourself, on staying you. Keep fighting. We’ll save you, I promise. No matter what I - what we have to do. Just don’t stop fighting, okay?”

“Okay…” said Twilight, and then his eyes shut.

“Move back now,” snapped Warriors, and this time Wild and Time listened.

The eyes opened, yellow again, and Malice sneered at them. **“Annoying mongrel,”** it spat. **“I cannot wait until he has been eradicated from this shell.”**

“Not if we get rid of you first,” said Wind.

**“Oh? And how, Hero of Lies, do you plan to do that?”**

“We’ll figure it out,” said Four.

“We’ve gone up against greater odds,” said Sky. He touched the hilt of the Master Sword, resting on his back. “You said it yourself, you’re just a small piece of this Ganon-monster. Compared to that, and everything else we’ve faced, you are nothing.”

“We’ve defeated your Master before,” said Wild, tears running down his face. “And I swear, by all the gods of Hyrule, we will defeat you too.”

***

They left Malice were it was, tied to the tree, and sat around the campfire to plan their next move. Hyrule sat on his hands to try and stop them from shaking. _Where has all my bravery gone?_ he thought. He could feel Malice’s eyes on him, even as far away as he was, like nails being scraped down his neck. _Why is it suddenly so hard to breathe?_

“I don’t know how much time we have,” said Wild, tugging his hood over his eyes, as though that could hide him from Malice’s never-ending stare. “I’ve never dealt with corruption like this before. We need more information.”

“No shit,” said Legend. “But where the hell can we get it? It’s not like your Hyrule has libraries or Sages we can visit.” He turned and glared at Malice. “And we know you’re listening, you nosy bastard, so you can just fuck off with that grin.”

“Legend.” Time’s voice held a warning.

**“I’m not saying anything,”** Malice smirked.

“Ignore it,” said Four, but Hyrule didn’t miss the way his eyes flashed cobalt, icy with anger. “We need to focus. How else can we get this information? There must be someone we can ask."

“I have a few ideas,” said Wild. He pulled out his Sheikah Slate. “Impa, Zelda, the Great Deku Tree; one of them must know something. An item or a shrine or a way to cure him.”

“We can’t take it with us,” said Warriors. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “And we can’t leave it alone either. I don’t trust it not to have a trick or two up its sleeves.”

“We split up then,” said Time. “Half of us go with Wild, while the other half can stay here.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” asked Hyrule. Years of paranoia came back in full force, slamming into his brain. “What if it has another trap planned? What if there’s something else waiting to get you once you leave?”

“Then we’ll have to take that risk,” said Time.

Legend sent Malice another glare. “All right then. Who stays and who goes?”

It took ten minutes of arguing, but eventually they decided on the groups. Time, Legend, and Sky would go with Wild to gather what information they could, while the rest of them stayed at the camp and kept watch over Twilight and Malice. Hyrule had tried to join Wild’s, but he’d been outvoted.

“You need to rest,” said Sky, placing a gentle hand on Hyrule’s shoulder. “You’ve had a rough enough day as it is.”

“But - ”

“You’re staying, Hyrule,” said Time. “Rest.”

_Right. How am I suppose to rest with that thing only a few feet away from me? After what I let happen?_

( _maybe, if they all figure it out, they’ll kill you in your sleep_ )

But there wasn’t any chance of changing Time’s mind, so Hyrule gave in. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll wait here for you all to come back.”

( _but sleep with one eye open. just in case_ )

“Be careful,” said Four, as the others got ready to leave. “Don’t do anything rash.”

“Not without us,” added Wind.

“You all are the ones who need to be careful. You’ll be with that.” Sky gestured to Malice, calmly watching them all.

“Make sure the bastard doesn’t try anything,” said Legend, giving Warriors an odd look.

The captain nodded, patting his sword. “I’ll keep them safe, no matter what.”

“We will be back soon,” said Time. He turned to Malice and repeated his words. “We will be back.”

Malice smirked. **“I look forward to it.”**

“We can handle this,” said Wind, and he gave the other group a thumbs up.

Hyrule wished he shared the sailor’s confidence. “Good luck,” he said, as Wild activated his Sheikah Slate. The four of them vanished in a burst of broken, blue light.

_Hylia guide them. Help them find the answers we need before it’s too late._

**“Well?”** said Malice, staring at them curiously. **“What are you all going to do now?”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why are villains so much fun to write?


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malice’s words haunted Hyrule as he sat by the campfire, poking at the embers with a stick. 
> 
> What could he do now?
> 
> Nothing. Nothing but wait and pray and try not to be crushed by the poison in Malice’s stare. 
> 
> Easier said than done.

Malice’s words haunted Hyrule as he sat by the campfire, poking at the embers with a stick.

What could he do now?

Nothing. Nothing but wait and pray and try not to be crushed by the poison in Malice’s stare.

Easier said than done.

None of them spoke. They’d tried, at first. Four started telling a story, and Wind chimed in to add colourful exaggerations. But it was impossible to relax with that thing watching. Impossible not to image Twilight, trapped inside, fighting not to be devoured in his own mind. Silence took over their little group. The minutes dragged, slow and thick like sludge, clogging up Hyrule’s lungs. Each second, each heartbeat, hurt.Warriors kept his gaze locked on Malice. Any twitch or slight shift in posture didn’t go unnoticed by the captain, his hands resting by his sword. Wind and Four kept their eyes locked on the fire, lost in their worries. Hyrule tried to do the same, to avoid looking where Malice sat, silent and smirking.

The names it called the others, what did it all mean? None of them matched the heroes he knew. _Is that how Ganon sees us?_ Hyrule wondered, dread rising like acid in his stomach. _What am I, then? What is it going to call me?_ “How much longer are the others going to be?” he asked. _Why couldn't I have gone with them?_

“I think - ” Four’s words were cut off by Malice, snickering. The smithy frowned and tried again. “I think that - ”

More mocking laughter, louder this time, interrupted him.

“- that they should be back soon,” said Four through gritted teeth. His eyes flickered back and forth between blue and green.

“Yeah.” Wind smiled, though it lacked his normal brightness. “Wild said that Flora - his Zelda - is really smart. So, she’s got to know something. Plus, they're all really strong, so if they get attacked they'll be able to deal with the monsters no problem." He glanced up at Warriors. "Right?”

“Right.” Warriors took a brief pause from his vigil to ruffle the younger boy’s hair. “All of them are capable fighters. They can handle any trouble that might try to waylay them.”

“Yeah,” said Hyrule. _Unless they’re caught in a trap. Or maybe we’re the ones in danger?_

“But,” said Four, “I wonder - ”

This time, when Malice’s laughter broke his words, Four stood up. “What’s so funny?” Blue eyes had won the battle, fists clenched at his side.

**“You, Hero of Madness. You keep referring to yourself as a singular being, as if only one voice exists in what remains of your mind.”**

All colour drained from Four’s face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What does that mean?” asked Hyrule.

“Nothing. It’s lying. Making stuff up.” Four shook his head. “It’s not true. I’m not crazy.”

**“One body,”** continued Malice, **“but that head of yours just hasn’t been the same since your last adventure, has it?”**

“Stop. Stop talking!”

**“How long did it take you to glue yourself back together? Shame, the cracks are still there, threatening to split apart. Poor hero. It must have taken such a long time to learn how to be normal. Or, pretend to be.”**

Four’s eyes went wild, colours rapidly flickering, warring with one another. “Stop it!”

**“A broken mind, a heart divided, a piece of your soul forever grieving for a shadow. Stunted. Shattered. I almost pity what you become in the end, when your mind is finally eaten by madness.”**

“We’re not crazy!”

Pure terror immediately smothered the rage as Four clasped his hands over his mouth.

“Four?” said Warriors, holding out a hand. “Are you okay?"

The smallest hero didn’t take it. Instead, he stumbled back to the fire, sitting on the ground far away from everyone else. He brought his knees up to his chest and gripped his head tight enough to bruise.

“Not crazy,” he said again. “We - I’m not crazy.”

**"No?"** Malice's smile could have peeled skin off a bone. **"Are you sure?"**

“Leave him alone!” said Wind. “So what if Four came back different from one of his adventures? It doesn’t matter! He's still our friend. He's still Four.”

**“Such kindness,”** said Malice. **“Are you hoping the others will still extend such friendship after all your lies are revealed?”**

“I’m not a liar.”

**“You lie to the gods and you lie to your so called friends. Tell me, have they visited the Hyrule of your era yet?"** Wind flinched, like an arrow hitting its mark. **"No? A shame none of your friends have seen the castle. But something else always comes up, doesn’t it? An island, a friend, a convenient distraction.”**

“There’s…other, more interesting things to see besides some…dumb castle,” said Wind.

**“Oh, I think they’d find it very interesting. Especially if they learned why its hero left it in such a state. What would the Hero of Curses think of the fate of his beloved sword? Will you tell him? Will you tell any of them? No, you’d rather rest in your lies.”**

“Shut up!”

**“But that is to be expected. You are no true hero, after all. No golden mark of courage was placed on your hand, no prophecy preached of you arrival. You stole your power, Hero of Lies. Ripped it from the bottom of the sea before my Master could.”**

A chill ran through Hyrule’s heart. “You stole them?”

( _give them to us, give us the pieces, the Triforce, the power, kill him and take it for our own!_ )

“No! No, I told you all, it was broken. Remember?" Wind's eyes darted from Hyrule to Four to Warriors, blinking fast to hold back tears. "Time broke it, so I had to find the pieces. The King of Red Lions said it was okay. I'm not a thief. I didn't steal them.”

Malice shook its head. **“Of course you did. Otherwise the gods would not have glanced down at you. Would have continued to regard you as nothing more than a child. So you had to be greedy, demanding, violent. Fitting that you became so close to pirates.”**

“Wind,” said Warriors. “Stop talking to it. It only wants to make you upset.”

“I earned the Triforce of Courage,” argued Wind. “And, maybe the gods didn’t want me at first, but they picked me in the end. I proved to them I was strong.”

**“You bullied them into submission in a way that would have made my Master proud. But then again, I suppose they did not have much choice. The true hero - the one they wanted - was gone, wasn’t he?”**

“I was the hero!”

**“Then why do you no longer wear green?”**

Wind flinched. All his bravery, his brightness, snuffed out at the question. The words turned him into a child, lost and shivering. “I…”

**“Its a simple question. Surely you can answer this one without lying. Can’t you?”**

Hyrule watched Wind. It was a simple question. What terrible secret could be hidden around something as mundane as the colour tunic one chose to wear? But Wind just shook his head, unwilling to say another word, tears starting to spill down his cheeks. 

( _if he's willing to lie about something so small, then he's probably willing to lie about anything. everything. and are you really willing to trust a liar, after everything you've survived?_ )

Goddess above, why did his blood feel like it was on fire?

"Enough of this." Warriors stood up and positioned himself directly in front of Malice. “Are you done picking on children?”

**“Its only a conversation,"** said Malice. **"Why? Are you worried you’ll hear something incriminating? You’ve executed your own men before, Hero of Traitors. Soldiers you’ve trained with for years, beheaded in one quick stroke of your legendary blade. These ones would be even easier to kill.”**

“What I did in the war has nothing to do with them,” said Warriors. “Now, leave them alone and shut up, or, Twilight forgive me, I will take away your voice."

Warriors’ threats only delighted Malice. **“Such courage, trying to terrorize an unarmed man. Truly the goddess' chosen** **one.** ” It laughed, and Hyrule wished he could erase the sound from his memory. **“Her since of humour is more twisted than my Master’s, picking souls such as yours as pawns. An executioner, a liar, a madman, and…”** Those terrible eyes turned to Hyrule. **“My favourite, the Hero of Ganon.”**

***

An hour of suffocating silence later, the others finally returned. The tiny flutterings of hope Hyrule had clung to died when he saw Wild storm into the camp, fury and frustration twisted across his scarred face.

**“Back already?”** said Malice. **“How was your search?”**

Legend flipped the servant of Ganon off before grabbing his bag and getting lost in his endless inventory.

“I’m sorry,” said Warriors. He moved, and Time all but collapsed beside him.

“So are we,” said Time. Exhaustion weighed down on him, heavier than any armour. 

Wild continued to pace, shaking and muttering and biting at his fingernails.

Sky walked over to where Wind and Four were huddled. “Better to have tried than to have done nothing at all.” He gazed down at the two of them, then at Hyrule and Warriors, soft with concern. “Are you all okay?”

Four squeezed his knees tighter to his chest, lost in thought as his eyes continued to rapidly changed colour.

“Malice is a jerk,” said Wind, tears in his voice.

Legend looked up from his bag and glared at Malice. “What did you do?”

**“I simply spoke truths none of them wanted to hear.”**

_Truths?_ Hyrule shivered, Malice’s words echoing in his head. _Hero of Ganon, Hero of Ganon. Hero of Ganon._

( _my favourite_ )

“Its skilled at getting under our skins,” said Warriors. “We will have to be very careful around it.”

“Did you really find out nothing?” said Hyrule. 

“Unfortunately.” Time let out a long sigh. “The Princess no longer has her divine powers, so she cannot cast the malice aside like she could do before. Impa did not know of any Sheikah technology that could help, and the Great Deku Tree was equally unsure how we could separate Twilight’s soul from this monster.”

Malice chuckled. **“Such a shame. Shall I pass on this news to your mongrel friend? That there is no hope for him?”**

“We’re not done!” snapped Wild. “There is a way to get rid of you, and I will find it!” He whirled to Hyrule, eyes blazing. “You. You remember where the attack happened, right?”

“Kind of?” Hyrule, terrible at directions on the best of days, scrambled to recall the way he’d gone. “I could try to find it again.”

“Good. Show me.”

“Wild.” Sky put a hand on the champion’s shoulder. “You need to rest.”

Wild shook him off. “Not yet. I need to do this first. I need to keep trying.”

“If you’re determined to wear yourself out, then at least don’t be an idiot and go alone,” said Legend. “The last thing we need is to spend the rest of the night searching ‘cause the two of you got lost again. Take one other person with you.”

Four shot to his feet. “I’ll go.”

Warriors frowned. “Are you sure? It might be better if someone else went.”

“Why?” said Four. “You don’t trust me? Think I’ll do something weird? Something crazy?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“We don’t have time to waste arguing!” snapped Wild. “Four came come if he wants.” He sent Malice one quick, desperate look. “Don’t give up hope, Twilight. I’ll be back. Okay? I'm not giving up, so neither can you.”

**“Have a fun walk,”** said Malice, and it took all of Hyrule’s willpower not to run out of the camp like a rabbit.

***

Finding the way back was easier than Hyrule had feared. A trail of malice drops lead the way, the ooze burnt into the earth, leaving behind an unmistakable black stain. Four and Wild followed him through the leaves, past growing shadows. The sky began to darken as storm clouds rolled in, a chill creeping into the air around them.

_At least we found the trail before it started to rain,_ thought Hyrule. _If there are any answers to find, we’ll get them before they’re washed away. Hopefully._

“This is it,” said Hyrule, his boots crunching against the fallen leaves. He gestured to the small space: the piles of leaves, the surrounding trees, the grass burnt with malice from the fight. “This is where it happened. Where we were attacked.”

( _the place where you failed your friend_ )

Four’s eyes had settled, amethyst taking over from his earlier breakdown. “Is there anything specific we should be looking for?” he asked.

“Large malice marks," said Wild. "Purple and black ooze puddles. Any sign or trace of dark magic.” He turned to Hyrule. “Well? Sense anything?”

“I'm not sure.” Everything felt wrong now. Each leaf and rock tainted with malice, another trap waiting for him to mess up and be snared by. Hyrule couldn't separate real magic from his own paranoia. 

“Let’s spread out and look,” suggested Four.

Hyrule brushed his fingers across the leaves. _Did I really play here? Was that only hours ago?_ Joy felt impossible now, like he’d it dreamed up. _Focus,_ he told himself. _Twilight is counting on you. What can you sense?_ No magic sparked against his soul, no foul scent of sulphur burnt his blood or lit the golden power hidden on his hand. No birds chirped, no squirrels stirred in the trees around them. The world held its breath as they searched.

Or maybe that was just Hyrule, barely able to breathe around the anxiety that kept squeezing his lungs.Where could the monsters have come from? Had they made a nest in one of the trees? Was the ambushed planned, or had it been bad luck? And hadn’t there been a broken Guardian there as well? Where had it gone? _I must be mixing it up with another area,_ he thought, shaking his head. _But I was sure…_

Raindrops began to splatter, cleansing the air, erasing any remains of the malice fight. They were losing the light. 

“I don’t think we’re going to find anything,” said Four, pulling his hood over his hair. “I’m sorry, Wild.”

“We can check again tomorrow,” said Hyrule. The rain, the growing dark; it made him nervous. _We’re easy targets for an attack like this,_ he thought. “We should go back to the others before the light’s all gone.”

“No!” screamed Wild. “There has to be something here! There has to be!” He grabbed Hyrule, digging his nails into his shoulders. “Where was the eye?”

“The what?”

Wild shook him. “Can’t you remember anything useful?”

Four tried to pry him off Hyrule. “Wild, stop. You’re hurting him.”

“What eye?” said Hyrule. His hands twitched for his sword, for a spell, for something to keep him safe. _Wild’s just scared. He’s not going to attack me. He’d never attack me. Right?_

( _haven’t you learned better than to trust people by now?_ )

“The big, yellow, glowing eye that spat the tainted lizalfos at you! Where was it? The only way to stop the attack is to kill it.”

Hyrule shook his head. “There was no eye.”

“What do you mean there was no eye? That’s where those things come from.”

“I only saw them come at us from the sky,” said Hyrule. “They stopped attacking after Twilight was infected.”

“Could it have moved?” suggested Four. “Retreated once its main goal was done?”

“No,” said Wild. “They’re stationary. They don’t have legs. They can’t walk away on their own.” His grip tightened, bruising Hyrule’s shoulders. “How could you not see it? What were you doing?”

“I told you! The skulls came out of nowhere! They dove at us from the sky and I tried to fight them off the best I could and then one tried to tear out my throat. I would have died if Twilight hadn’t bitten it! I - ”

“What?” Wild’s fingers went slack.

( _you should not have told him that. now he knows, and now they will all know whose fault this is._ )

“I…I…” Hyrule’s throat went dry. “It dove at me and I couldn’t - there wasn’t enough time to dodge. Twilight bit it to stop me. He saved me.”

“And got infected,” said Wild, all emotion gone.

Hyrule flinched. “Yes.”

“Because of you.”

“…yes.” Both Four and Wild were silent, staring at Hyrule. It made him want to run, to rip free of Wild’s hands and flee into the woods and never face any of them ever again. “I’m sorry. I know, I should have been paying more attention. I should have brought my shield, I should have blocked the attack, I should have done something. I know, and I didn’t, and it's all my fault Twilight’s possessed. I’m sorry, Wild. I’m so, so sorry.”

“No,” said Four, amber eyes warm, shinning with sympathy. “It wasn’t your fault. Right, Wild?”

Wild didn’t answer, his teeth clenched so hard Hyrule thought he heard them crack. With a violent shove he pushed Hyrule away, then turned and began to walk.

“Wild!” yelled Four. “Where are you going?”

“Back to camp.” Each word dripped venom.

Hyrule chased after him, feet slipping on the wet leaves. Tried to grab his hand. “I’m sorry - ”

“Shut up.” Wild yanked his arm away. “Just shut up and stay away from me.”

And even with the chill in the air and the rain, even with the shivers that ran down his spine and the raindrops starting to soak through his tunic, Hyrule’s blood burned with mad laughter.

( _see? told you they’d hate you for this_ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> with every chapter I ask myself, how can I make this worse for Hyrule? :P
> 
> Have a happy holiday/winter break!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new sound drifted through the forest, growing louder and louder the closer they got to camp.
> 
> Screaming. Someone was screaming. 
> 
> Legend.

The storm grew worse as they returned to camp.

Rain soaked Hyrule’s tunic, his boots, his hair. Mud splattered against his pants as he walked. All the earlier beauty of the forest had been tainted, drenched in cold, miserable shadows. His skin - his blood - continued to burn, like a sudden fever.

Like a curse.

Four, stuck in the middle, kept checking back to make sure Hyrule hadn’t gotten lost.

_At least one person doesn’t hate me,_ thought Hyrule.

( _yes, the crazy one. wonder what all the other voices in his head think about this? what will he do when your back is turned and insanity takes over?_ )

_Shut up. No adventure is without scars._

( _then why are you standing so far apart from him?_ )

Wild marched ahead. Not once did he glance back.

( _he’ll tell the others about what he learned. he’ll tell them and they’ll hate you, they’ll attack you. they’ll see what you have hidden on your hands. inside your blood. if you run now, maybe you can survive._ )

_No._ Hyrule clenched his fists, trying to push the fear, the growing paranoia, the damn never-ending, burning voice away. _I’m not a coward. I promised Twilight I would save him, no matter what. I won’t run from this._

( _your courage will only earn you a knife in the back. listen as your so called family breaks._ )

A new sound drifted through the forest, growing louder and louder the closer they got to camp.

Screaming. Someone was screaming.

Legend.

For a split second Hyrule couldn’t move. _I shouldn't have left the camp! What’s happened at there?_ Then he was racing, shoving aside low branches, scrambling to get to the veteran. To the others. _Please be okay, please be okay, oh Goddess, please let them all be okay!_ He burst into camp, sword out, Wild and Four right behind him.

They’d moved the camp, shuffled their supplies and relit a fire under the safety of their makeshift tents. Malice, still smirking, had been moved as well, now tied around a tree half-protected from the rain.Hyrule scanned the group. All of them were there. No blood. No bodies. _Alive_ , he thought, breathing hard, arms shaking from the need to fight and protect his friends. His family. Alive and uninjured.

But not okay.

Legend was still screaming, swearing, fists swinging against Time and Warriors as he fought to get past them and tear off Malice’s face.

“What the hell is going on?” said Wild.

**“Such a violent temper,”** said Malice. **“I was only singing.”**

“YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE DOING, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!”

“You’re back,” Sky, clearly exhausted, smiled. “Come dry off. We don’t need anyone to get sick on top of everything else.” He sat by Wind, sailcloth draped around the youngest hero’s shoulders, rubbing slow circles on his back.

( _wonder what lies he’s told while you were away?_ )

“Legend!” Warriors narrowly missed a fist to his face. “Cut it out! Legend!”

Malice turned his head, grinning at Hyrule. **“Welcome back, Hero of Ganon.”**

_That’s not my name. I’m not yours. I'll die before I become yours._ “What did you do?” asked Hyrule. 

**“They wanted me to stop talking, so I sang instead. It’s a lovely song. Want to hear it?”** Without waiting for an answer, Malice started to hum. The notes were rough, twisted inside out. An echo of what the tune might have once been - a lovely, soft melody, sweet and hopeful - was now tainted. Corrupted.

“SHUT UP!” Legend broke out of Time’s hold, ducked under Warriors, and, before anyone could stop him, punched Malice hard in the face.

The crack echoed throughout the camp, freezing everyone in place. Blood dribbled down the corner of Malice’s mouth, its yellow eyes eerily bright with a sadistic glee. **“The mongrel says, ‘good hit’.”**

That comment erased all the fight from Legend. “I hope,” he said, voice rough from screaming, “that I get the chance to kill you again.”

Time all but dragged Legend back to the camp fire. “Sit,” he ordered. “All of you. Now.”

Hyrule put his sword away and obeyed, as did Wild and Four. All seven of them stared up at Time, waiting for advice or instruction or some words of wisdom. Something to make everything all right again.

“Wild,” said Time, “Are you able to make dinner, or should someone else take over tonight?”

Wild shook his head. “I need to look - “

“No more. Not tonight.” The rain around them worsened, lightning cracking in the distance. “We need to eat now, and rest. All of us. I’ll ask again, can you cook?”

Wild nodded, then stomped over to the fire, Sheikah Slate ready. “Give me half an hour.”

Hyrule turned Legend. “Are you okay?” he whispered.

The veteran dug his nails into the dirt, ripping into the soil. His eyes, drowning in guilt, flickered briefly to Hyrule before falling back to the fire. “I wish that thing could feel pain.”

_What else did it do while we were away?_ thought Hyrule. _What else did it say?_

Dinner cooked up quickly, bubbling over the fire. Red meat, vegetables, a pinch of Goron spice. The smell alone made Hyrule’s mouth water. The champion had made meat stew, a perfect dish for the cold, rainy night.

_Twilight’s favourite._

Hyrule didn’t miss how Wild refused to look at him, shoving the bowl into his hands. “Thank you,” said Hyrule, but Wild had gone before he’d finished speaking.

( _are you sure you want to eat that? maybe he spat in it. maybe its poisoned_ )

_He’s my friend. A hero. No matter how much he hates me, he’d never put poison in my food._

( _are you sure about that?_ )

_Yes. Mostly. Kind of._ Doubt gnawed at him, eating away the faith that had once been unbreakable. _A quick check won’t do any harm._ While the others ate, Hyrule muttered a simple spell under his breath and brushed his hand over the bowl. The stew stayed as it was, no sudden rot or black spots appearing in the dish. No poison.

_See? Nothing._

( _and next time? you depend on him for food, and who knows what else he has hidden in that device of his_ )

_Stop it. I won’t believe you, I won’t. I’ll -_

“What are you doing?” Legend nudged Hyrule. “Your food's getting cold.”

“Sorry.” Shame filled him. “Just, thinking.”

“You were mumbling something,” said Legend. Had he sensed the spell Hyrule had cast? The veteran was more sensitive to magic than the others. Did he know what Hyrule had done?

( _he lost his temper over a song. what else could make him snap? what will he do to you when he finds out about your blood?_ )

“Its nothing,” said Hyrule, and he forced himself to eat. 

**“And what of your mongrel?”** said Malice. **“Are you going to let him starve?”**

“Do not answer that,” said Time, stopping Wind from whatever he’d been about to say. “You are not to talk to it for the rest of the night, no matter what comes out of its mouth. Understood?”

**“Starvation then. Pity. Your mongrel’s been fighting me all this time, and some food could help him keep his strength up.”**

Wild flinched, hands shaking as he continued to hand out dinner. His hood still covered his eyes, hiding his expression.

**“He can smell it, you know. Mongrels have strong noses, after all, and this meal has such a delicious scent. Will you not offer him even a spoonful? Are none of you brave enough to come closer?”**

It's a trap. A trick. That did not stop the guilt from tearing into Hyrule. _Twilight is strong. He can go one night without food. Can’t he?_

**“What is that custom you have in your time, Hero of Traitors? A last meal for a prisoner before their execution? Does the mongrel not get such a small kindness? Is he worse than a criminal, then?”**

Warriors kept on eating, all emotion gone. _He’s like an iron knuckle,_ thought Hyrule. _All armour and weapons, no soul._

An unfair thought. _Not true. That’s not true. He’s a knight, a captain, a hero. Not a monster._

( _tell that to all the people he’s killed_ )

**“Nothing? Perhaps you don’t care that much for him after all. I'll be sure to pass on the message.”**

Warriors’ expression did not change. Legend gripped his spoon so hard it nearly snapped in half. Tears dripped from Four’s amber eyes, spilling into his food. Wind looked ready to throw up. Wild tried - and failed - to hold back a sob. Time stared into the fire, his good eye dark with grief.

Guilt turned the food to ash in Hyrule’s mouth. _I’m sorry, Twilight. Forgive me, forgive me._

Abruptly, Sky stood up. “Give me a bowl for him, Wild.”

“What?”

“Give me a bowl,” Sky said again. “I will not let our friend go hungry tonight.”

“No,” said Time. “You can’t.”

“I will.” Sky matched Time’s glare with one of his own. His easygoing smile had vanished, replaced by grim determination, all softness turned to steel.

Time shook his head. “You don’t understand. That’s a piece of Ganon.”

“A twisted king,” said Wind.

“A monster,” said Four.

“A force of darkness,” said Hyrule, too many terrible memories resurfacing at his words. "Pure evil."

“I'm all too aware of what evil is," said Sky. "I've faced the forces of darkness as well."

"Different ones," said Warriors, shaking his head. "Not like this."

"I know. That’s why it needs to be me. I don’t share the same history with it as you all do. There's less it can do to hurt me compared to everyone else here." He held out his hands. "Now, give me a bowl of food.”

_But it knows you,_ thought Hyrule. _If you never fought Ganon, then how does it know who you are?_

Time sighed. “Fine,” he said. “But do not talk to it, no matter what it says.”

“Keep your weapon close,” added Warriors, concern breaking through cold facade. “Any sign of an attack, even the barest twitch, and you retreat back to us.”

“I understand,” said Sky.

Wild handed him a bowl of hot stew and a spoon. “Thank you,” the champion whispered, so quiet that Hyrule almost missed the words.

Sky covered the bowl with his sailcloth to protect it from the rain, and made his way out of the shelter the group was in to sit in front of Malice.

**“Taking pity on your mongrel? How sweet.”** Malice leaned forward. **“We have not met, hero, but I know who you are. It is impossible for my Master not to know who you are. What you did. Hylia’s chosen, creator of the cycle. God-slayer. Curse-maker.”**

_What does that mean?_ thought Hyrule. _God killing? Creating a curse? What happened in your adventure, Sky?_

( _are you sure you want to know?_ )

Sky ignored the words and held out a spoonful of food. “Eat.”

Malice obliged.

It went on for ten long, tense minutes. Hyrule could barely concentrate on eating this own food. His eyes were glued to Sky, waiting for Malice to trigger some sort of trap. For everything to go horribly wrong.

But Malice only ate, one spoonful after another, eyes glowing as any remaining daylight disappeared, leaving the heroes in darkness. **“A fine last meal for your mongrel,”** said Malice, when the bowl was empty. **“I’m sure he’d thank you, if he wasn’t busy screaming against my power.”**

Again, Sky said nothing, as he stood back up.

Malice kept talking. **“I owe you thanks as well, Hero of Curses. Without your actions, my Master would not be here.”**

Sky’s steps faltered. The bowl shook in his hands.

**“Did you not know? Did you not realize the connection? Where did you think that great power would go? Everyone’s misfortune, every battle and lost life, all of that can be traced back to you."** Malice tipped its head, a mockery of a bow. **"You** **have my gratitude, Hero of Curses, for without you this land would never have known darkness.”**

Hyrule stared at Sky as the other hero sat back down around the fire. “What did that mean?” he asked. “What curse?”

( _and you thought Ganon was responsible for all your suffering_ )

“Hyrule,” said Time, “Don’t. We’re not talking about this. That’s what it wants us to do.”

“But - ”

“Haven’t you caused enough trouble?” snapped Wild. “Just shut up!”

“What the hell, Wild?” said Legend.

“Please stop,” said Four, amber eyes becoming green. “We shouldn’t fight.”

“Your eyes are flickering again,” said Warriors. “I never noticed how much they did that until now.”

Four covered his face. “That’s just the way we are.”

“We?” repeated Sky, slightly confused.

“He meant ‘I’,” said Wind, trying to defend Four. “He’s just tired. We all are.”

“Don’t lie,” said Hyrule.

Wind glared at him. “I’m not lying! It’s what he meant to say. You guys shouldn’t be picking on him. He didn’t do anything wrong!”

“No, Hyrule did,” said Wild.

Legend glared. “Again, Wild, what the fuck is your problem?”

“Enough!” shouted Time, silencing them all. “We can’t do anything more tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll go over our options. But we can’t do anything to help Twilight when we’re exhausted and biting at each other’s throats.” He ran a hand threw his hair. “I’ll take first watch. The rest of you, sleep. We’ll need all our energy for whatever the morning will bring.”

“So we’re just leaving it tied against the tree all night? Watching us?” Wind gave it an uneasy look. “Are you sure that’s okay?”

Malice smirked. **“Your concern is touching, Hero of Lies, but you need not worry. I don’t sleep.”**

***

Exhaustion did its best to drag Hyrule into dreams. He slept in short spurts, flinching awake over and over, sword at his side. His blood burned and his nerves screamed. Every creak and crack of lightning sent a fresh wave of paranoia through his heart. 

_Don't trust. Don't sleep too deep. Keep a knife in your boot, keep one eye open when you sleep, always keep a tiny bit of magic back just in case. Always be ready for something to break, for the world to turn on you, for everything to suddenly go wrong, because it will._

The old mantra repeated in his head. He’d lived by those words even before being cursed. His world, as much as he loved it, was not kind to fools.

( _yet you’ve become one now. too soft. too trusting. too foolish_ )

Hyrule groaned. _Why won’t you leave me alone?_ Too many voices circled him. Malice and the echo of Ganon’s in his blood, the doubt and guilt in his mind, all of the others asleep around him. _I'm so tired._ _Of being scared, of fighting others. Of fighting myself. Can't I rest for just one night? Please?_ Dreams beckoned again, pulling him back, music soothing his heart.

_Wait. That music’s not coming from my dreams. That’s real._

Someone was playing an ocarina. Hyrule thought of his flute, and idly his fingers twitched as they mimicked the notes. _E, D, B-sharp, E, D, B-sharp, E, D, A, G, A._ A gentle melody, as soft and warm as fairy light, repeated over and over like a prayer.

**“The Hero of Delusions was meant to take over an hour ago.”** Malice’s words sliced through the music. **“Why did you not wake him up? Do you not trust him?”**

_Legend volunteered to take the second watch,_ thought Hyrule. _That means it's Time whose playing the song._ _Why is he still awake?_

**“That will not work. You’ve lost what little power you once had, Hero of Nothing. No child’s tune will save your mongrel.”**

“I know,” said Time, the music fading away. “But he can hear it, can’t he? If I can provide him some comfort in that way, then I will play all night.”

_I thought we weren’t supposed to talk to it. That’s what he said. Why is he talking to it?_

Malice laughed. **“Oh, he hears you all. He hears everything as you all break to pieces with each truth I reveal. He can hear you all suffering, and the guilt of his failure in all of this only further destroys him.”**

“None of this is his fault,” said Time. “It is yours. Do you hear me, Pup? Ganon’s fault, and Ganon’s alone. Not yours.”

**“Only mine?”** said Malice. **“Hero of Nothing, we both know that’s not entirely true. Does the Hero of Failure not bear responsibility for not informing you of my Master’s power in this land? Or the Hero of Ganon for wandering recklessly into danger? Or the Hero of Curses, for inflicting the burden of courage on all your souls?”**

“I will not blame children for the cruelty of gods.”

**“Yet you will fight in the name of the cruelest god of them all. My Master is many terrible things, Hero of Nothing, but it is your goddess who sends children to die in her name.”**

Time said nothing to that. Hyrule stayed perfectly still, kept his breathing slow and even. _Pretend to be asleep. Don’t let Time know your awake._

( _finally, you’re learning. don’t trust anyone_ )

Hyrule could feel the weight of Malice’s eyes, staring into his soul. **“They look to you for leadership, these little heroes. They think you’re fearless. Indestructible. How wrong they are. You’re just a scared little boy, alone and unwanted, trying desperately to make someone proud.”**

Time scoffed. “That will not work on me, monster. I have relived the worst parts of my life, repeatedly. I have fought demons that even your master would fear. There is no secret in my past that I haven’t already accepted, however grudgingly.”

**“Oh? Is that so? Then let me share a tiny glimpse into your future, Hero of Nothing. A small secret. A terrible truth. All the love you think you’ve earned, the home and happiness you ache for? None of it lasts. You will die alone, and you will die forgotten.”**

“Yes,” said Time, each word so bitter and broken it pierced Hyrule’s heart. “I always expected my life to end that way.” Then, he picked up his ocarina and continued to play.

The melody wrapped itself around Hyrule, and he fought against it. _I can’t go to sleep yet. What if Malice starts talking again? What if it tells Time about my curse, or the Triforce?_

( _what if one of the others wakes up and tries to kill you when your eyes are closed and your back is turned?_ )

_I can’t sleep!_

( _don’t trust Time_ )

_I need to stay awake!_

( _don’t trust anyone_ )

But his body was exhausted, the melody persuasive, and soon enough, sleep took over everything.

***

_Where is he?_

_Darkness. He is running and the world around him is black and endless and he does not know where he is going._

_Home? Where is home?_

_Gone, all is gone. Nothing but blood now. Blood and darkness._

_My fault, my fault, my fault!_

_The darkness opens its eyes. Hundreds of them. There are yellow eyes everywhere, and they follow his steps. He runs, but they cover the sky and they cover the ground. Faces appear, burnt and blurry. They encircle him, furious. Screaming._

_Tear it out! Ganon is watching! Tear it out!_

_Hyrule tries to speak, to beg, to scream. His mouth refuses to open. It’s not his anymore. He tries to grab his shield. Stay away! Please, leave me alone! Stay away!_

_I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!_

_There is no shield, no magic. His arms are not his anymore, and there are eyes on his hands. Yellow eyes, staring back at him from his palms. More blink open on his arms, on his neck and torso. They cover his skin._

_Tear out the eyes! Tear out the eyes!_

_A wolf leaps from the darkness and rips out his throat._

“Strange brother!”

Hyrule woke up to fairy light, soft against his skin. A little fairy pressed her hands against his cheek, using all her strength to brush away his tears. “Awake, strange brother? Awake now?”

“Yes,” whispered Hyrule. His limbs felt like dead weight, still paralyzed from the nightmare. “What are you doing here, small sister?”

“Was sent.” She fluttered around his body, the warmth of her magic chasing away the fear, helping Hyrule to move again. “Get strange brother. Bring him right away. She said.”

“Who?”

“She.” The little fairy, put one finger to her lips. “Quiet. Big people asleep. Evil distracted. Leave now.”

“What?” Hyrule forced himself up. It had stopped raining, a full, white moon shinning above their heads. The embers of the campfire had burned low, nearly extinguished. “Who is she?”

“She. Important. Leave now, strange brother. Evil distracted.” The fairy pointed to where Malice sat. Two other fairies circled the camp. One fluttered around Time, her magic keeping him asleep. The other spun around Malice, pinching it with her light and making it growl in frustration. “Fly. Please.”

( _are you actually going to trust those gnats?_ )

Hyrule thought of the years he’d spent wandering alone. How the fairies had healed him, given him shelter in their gardens, taught him flying games, called him brother and family and loved him when the rest of his world turned away in greed and fear.

_Would I trust a fairy? Always._

“Okay,” said Hyrule. He whispered the fairy spell, let himself shrink and glow until he was no bigger than a rupee. “Lead the way, small sister.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "this is a short chapter" I thought to myself while writing this. "barely anything happens in this one; I hope no one gets bored" 
> 
> Jump cut to it being double the length I thought it was going to be and way more happening than I had planned. 
> 
> (bonus points to whoever can guess the song Time is playing)


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Go,” nudged the tiny fairy. She tugged on Hyrule’s hair. “Forward, strange brother. Talk.”
> 
> “To who?”
> 
> “To her.”

Hyrule flew in a world made silver by moonlight, dipping under branches, darting past snoring bokoblins, ducking inside hollow logs. He stuck close to the tiny fairy that had awoken him, her face set in determination as she lead the way. On and on, until they’d left the forest behind and entered a rocky mountainside. Giant chunks of stone littered the ground, like misplaced hills. _Or like mounds in a quarry,_ thought Hyrule. _Where exactly is this place? How far away am I from the others?_ Then his fairy guide suddenly dashed to the left, dodging an ominous red spot of light, and he didn’t have time to wonder any more.

They slipped through a hole in the mountainside, a secret entrance hidden by a tangle of orange vines. A tunnel, Hyrule realized, as his fairy spell faded away and his feet touched the cobbled stone. An old one built by Hylian hands, the exit only a few feet away.

“Here,” said the tiny fairy. “Close now. Come, strange brother. Walk.”

( _putting your guard down again? haven’t you learned your lesson yet?_ )

The words hissed in the back of his brain, bubbled in his blood. _I’m not listening to you,_ thought Hyrule, following the fairy to the other side.

( _you should run while you can. flee from this gnat. from your traitorous friends. flee -_ )

The voice cut off, abruptly silent the moment Hyrule reached the tunnel exit.

Peace settled over Hyrule. He took in a deep breath, free from the voice that had battered against heart. Broken columns linked the side of a stone path, leading up to a small platform surrounded by shallow water. _It’s like a fairy pond,_ thought Hyrule, admiring the water lilies, the murmur of falling water. In the middle of it, flanked by two gnarled trees, stood a statue of a winged woman.

_She looks familiar. Have I seen another statue of her somewhere before?_

“Go,” nudged the tiny fairy. She tugged on Hyrule’s hair. “Forward, strange brother. Talk.”

“To who?”

“To her.”

Hyrule looked around, but no one else stood among the water and stone. He fought the urge to grip his sword and walked forward, water seeping into his boots as he waited for some sort of Great Fairy to appear.

But it was the statue that spoke.

“You have come,” she said, a dozen different voices speaking together as one. Moss and moonlight covered her old stone body, her robes chipped, her smile weather-worn and serene. “Over hills and through the woods, past rivers and oceans and the dangers uncountable. You have arrived, brave heart. I welcome you to my sanctuary.”

Magic settled around his shoulders, warm and soft like a quilt. Like someone he’d once known in a far away, faded memory. _I'_ _ve felt this magic before._ Hyrule wracked his memories, trying to place it. Not fairy magic, and definitely not Ganon’s. It shone, pure gold, brilliant and rare, like a piece of the Tri-

_The Triforce._ _Exactly like the Triforce._

Hyrule glanced down at his left hand, a certain symbol glowing through the leather glove he wore to hide it. “You’re…” He looked back up at the statue as realization sunk in. “You’re a god. You’re _Her_.”

_The Goddess Hylia._

“I am a piece of myself. An echo, a memory, a sliver of the pure white moon. I am the daughter of this land and mother to all Hylians. Hylia, the first three called me, and thus I am.”

Hyrule’s knees buckled. A goddess. A real one. _Should I bow? Cover my eyes?_

The tiny fairy landed on Hyrule’s shoulder. “Get Link. She said. Here now. Did it.”

“I think she meant for a different Link,” said Hyrule. This was Wild’s time, after all. Wouldn’t the goddess want to talk to him, or Sky, or Time or any of the others?

“My words are for you, brave heart,” said the Goddess. “My traveller, wanderer of the land, protector of my power.”

“But why?” _How can I stand here when his curse lurks in my blood? Why hasn’t she sent a bolt of lightning down and fried me for dirtying her sacred place with my presence?_

“Gold is on your hand, gold is in your heart. Courageous and wise and powerful, my brave heart, my child of trees and fairy ponds. You bear my mark, all three of my treasures, and so my words are for you.” All of her voices, young and old, regal and common, turned sorrowful. “Iwatch my heroes, my champions of courage. I watch and I mourn and I hear one screaming, struggling. Howling in the dark.”

_Twilight._ “He’s in trouble,” said Hyrule. “Ganon’s power is possessing him, destroying him from the inside out. We’ve tried everything to get rid of it, but nothing’s worked.” He took a hesitant step forward. “Please, Goddess, if you know anything…if you could do anything…he’s a hero. He’s good and he’s kind and he doesn’t deserve to be torn apart like this. Please.”

Even as he begged, he didn't expect a real answer. The gods had never talked to him before. Why would one step up now, after so much evil had been done to his home? After so many battles had been fought? All of the heroes had mixed feelings towards the gods. Even Sky, the most loyal and faithful of them all, did not argue when Time or Wild brought up old grievances against them. Against her. 

But she'd called him here and she knew Twilight was suffering. Hyrule fell to his knees and begged again. "Please, Goddess Hylia, how do I save my friend?"

“The eye must be burned.”

Her words, the force behind them, sent a shudder through his heart. “What?”

“The eye must be burned,” Hylia said again. “To cast the out evil, you must blind it. Light will erase the dark, as it did before and as it will do so again, and again, and again.”

Wild had mentioned something about eyes as well. What had he said? _The big, yellow, glowing eye…That’s where those things come from..._ “What eye?" he asked. "I didn't see anything like that. Not in the fight and not when we went back to check. I didn’t see anything!”

“You saw what once was, and then you saw what was no longer there. Hiding in plain sight, skulking away on legs which are not its own.”

  
_There and then not. Legs which aren’t its own._ The pieces clicked together in his mind. “The Guardian,” said Hyrule. The ooze, the malice had been leaking into its joints. He’d assumed it was broken, but what if it had only pretended to be? Possessed by the dark power, waiting until Hyrule and Twilight had dropped their guards? 

"A relic of the past, reused for future destruction," said the Goddess. “It wonders, it waits. For orders, for opportunity, for one perfect moment to strike.”

_This means there is a way to save Twilight._ Hope rekindled in Hyrule, as tiny as a lantern light, bright as a distant star. Flimsy and fragile, but still strong enough to push back a fraction of the despair that had threatened to engulf him.

“Where is this Guardian?” he asked. He placed his left hand over his heart. “I swear, I will hunt it down. I will kill it for what it has done to my friend. Please, Goddess, tell me where it is.”

“Search, wanderer, brother of fairies. Search past forests and lakes and a graveyard of metal. Climb to the sky past the clouds, where not even wings can reach.”

_So this is the cryptic, unhelpful advice that Legend often rants about._ “But where is it?” said Hyrule. “Can’t you tell me that? I know I'm terrible at directions, but if you could just give me the name of a place, a landmark, something. Don’t you know?”

“It watches from on high.” Her voice began to fade, lost under the sound of rushing water. “Beware its words. Beware yourself. Look up, brave heart, and burn out its eye.”

“Wait!” Too late. Whatever etherial magic he’d spoken to vanished, leaving him and the small fairy alone. Hyrule sighed, then bowed at silent statue. “Thank you.”

“Good talk?” asked the fairy.

“Yes,” said Hyrule. Strange, cryptic advice was still advice. And now he had a goal, a way to save his friend. That was worth leaving the camp in the middle of the night and facing whatever consequence the others might have waiting for him. “Very helpful. Thank you, small sister.”

She glowed bright, spinning in happiness as they left the sanctuary. “Good, good. Fly back?”

Hyrule nodded. _Once I explain to the others what I learned -_

( _are you sure that’s such a good idea?_ )

Paranoia was back, and the blood burning voice along with it. _Isn't it? They’ll believe me, wouldn’t they?_

( _will you tell them of your spell, how you abandoned them all on the whim of a fairy? how you turned into one?_ )

_That don’t need to know that part. Just that a fairy came to me. They don’t need to know how I got to this place._

( _she only spoke to you because of the mark on your hand. a power any warrior would covet. are you willing to share that secret with them?_ )

_I don’t need to tell them that part. Not when everyone is so upset and Malice is listening._

( _perhaps you should get the youngest one to teach you how to lie. if he doesn't cut off your left hand first. liars and thieves, madmen and murderers, failures and soon to be traitors. forget them. forget it all. run away, hero. run away_ )

_I told you_ , thought Hyrule, clenching his fists. _That is not an option. The others might hate me, might try to kill me, might tear my heart to shreds. But I will not - I will never - abandon my friend._

“Strange brother?” The fairy poked him in the cheek. “Why whispering? To who?”

“No one. Sorry, small sister.” They’d reached the other side of the tunnel while he’d argued with himself, the safety of the sacred pond far behind them. Hyrule gazed out through the curtain of leaves. Now that he was taller, different details caught his attention. The red spots of light he’d glimpsed before came from the sky, from three flying Guardians that circled the rocky ground.

“Bad birds,” said the fairy, shaking her head. “Scary. Not fairies.” She crossed her arms. “Don’t like in sky.”

Up high, wasn’t that what the goddess had said? _The Guardian I saw before was different than these ones, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be connected somehow._

Hyrule unsheathed his sword, magic crackling between his fingers. “They don’t belong up there,” he said. “Want me to get rid of them for you?”

Her eyes went wide. “You fly?”

“Not exactly.” He gave the fairy a quick grin. “Go hide, small sister.”

The spell sparked, magic wrapping around his legs, granting his feet wings. With one leap he jumped higher then should have been possible, up one of the rocky mounds. A flying Guardian hovered nearby, unaware.

Guilt and frustration and righteous anger fuelled him. With one more leap, he flew into the air, just as the flying Guardian turned. Hyrule was coated in red light, and the metal monster began to beep. Hyrule brought his sword down right through its glowing eye. Both of them crashed onto the ground. Flames scorched the earth, shook the ground. Hyrule rolled away right before it exploded.

_No yellow eye on that one_ , he thought. _Maybe one of the others?_

He’d find out soon enough. The noise, the smoke, the absence of a third Guardian circling the sky; all of that was enough to draw suspicion. The other two flying Guardians charged towards him. Hyrule shifted the sword in his left hand, a new spell ready in his right one.

_Bring it on, you dumb, tin cuccos._

Red spotlights zeroed in on Hyrule again. He dashed forward, a sharp beep cutting into the air before the earth exploded behind him. Heat from the blast burned against his back. One started to fly higher up. _Too high, is it trying to get behind me?_ With a snap of his fingers, lightning danced, traveling from his heart to his hand to the sky, striking against its spinning, iron wings. It fell, but before Hyrule could finish it off, the one behind him took aim and fired again.

_Reflect!_ Hyrule pulled the magic up around him like a shield, and sent the deadly light right back where it came from. The sky was filled with fire, metal and gears raining down. 

One left. _Another blast of thunder should be enough to end the fight._ But when he snapped his fingers, only a few sparks flickered above his hand. _Dammit! I used up too much magic!_

The last metal monster couldn’t fly. Could barely lift itself more than a few inches off the ground. But it could still shoot. Hyrule ducked under another blast. Leapt to the left just before a second attack could blow off his head. _I need to get closer! If I trick it into thinking I'm running left, I could -_

An arrow flew past his shoulder, striking the flying Guardian right in its red eye. It exploded, metal chunks scattering around him.

( _someone’s come looking for you_ )

Hyrule turned, dread rising like bile in his throat. _Why?_ he thought. _Why, out of all the others, did it have to be you?_

Behind him, hood over his eyes, bow raised to attack again, stood Wild.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank the Zelda 2 Dungeon remix for helping me write this fight scene. Badass Hyrule requires badass music, after all.
> 
> A shorter chapter this time, but I couldn't resist ending it right there. :p  
> Sorry for the long wait. new lockdown + work + the general madness of the world = a very tired author. 
> 
> But hey! we've reached the halfway point! how much worse could things possibly get from here?
> 
> Also! There is fan art for this fic! (AHHHHH! :D)
> 
> This one from chapter 4 by macaroonkitti: https://macaroonkitti.tumblr.com/post/638332125399171072/i-read-malevolence-by-thescrapwitch-again-shit
> 
> And this animated one by Zaypay: https://zaypay.tumblr.com/post/640140218919419904/malice-is-infectious-and-wolves-should-beware


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What the hell are you two doing?”

( _run_ )

But Hyrule’s feet were rooted to the earth, the fingers that gripped his sword now numb. The world spun around him, distorted, like he’d been trapped in a glass bottle. The hood over Wild’s face kept his expression hidden, the bow still raised and ready to fire another arrow, the Flying Guardian’s remains smouldering around them both.

_Why isn’t he lowering his weapon?_

The ground between them was no more than a few feet of scorched earth. It may as well have been an abyss, endless and uncrossable.

( _run while you can_ )

_I have no magic. No shield. He’s the best archer out of all of us. If he shoots, it’ll be straight through my heart._

_If he shoots, I’m dead._

( _why would he want you alive, anyway?_ )

Time cracked. The frozen moment shattered and suddenly sped up. Wild lowered his bow and stomped towards him. “You better have a damn good reason for being out here.” Hyrule could see Wild’s face now, pure rage burning in his eyes.

“I - ” Hyrule scrambled to think of an explanation, but his mind stayed blank. “I was - I mean I found - ”

“What? More trouble?” The bow disappeared, back into the Sheikah Slate, and Wild’s fists shook at his sides. “Didn’t you learn your lesson from when you went ‘exploring’ yesterday?”

“No. I mean, yes. I just - ” _Breathe_ , he told himself. _Explain. Don’t let your courage fail you now._ “I was following a fairy.”

“A what?”

“A fairy.” Hyrule looked around. His small sister hovered near the sanctuary’s hidden entrance, her pink light a bright spot in the dark. She waited, a slight shake in her wings revealing just how afraid she was. Just how brave she was trying to be, not leaving Hyrule’s side. He lifted a hand to gesture her over. “To help Twilight, I - ”

Wild scoffed before Hyrule could finish. “That’s why you’re out here? You think that little thing is gonna be enough to save Twilight? My potions couldn’t, your magic couldn’t, hell, even the Master Sword couldn’t. But that could?”

( _nothing but a gnat_ )

“Don’t call her that.”

“I didn’t call her anything.”

( _a useless fleck of light. a useless answer from a useless goddess. that’s all this is. all you are_ )

Wild shoved him, hard. “Are you even listening to me?”

( _useless. unforgiven. unwanted_ )

“I’m trying - ” Hyrule could have choked on his words. Every thought in his head spun, fear swirling into guilt spiralling into heat that turned his blood to fire. A voice echoed at the back of his brain, distant, insistent. Laughing.

The tiny fairy fluttered closer, zigzagging in the air. “Strange brother,” he heard her say. “Fly away, strange brother.”

“Fine,” said Wild, venom laced into his words. “You think that thing can help Twilight? Put it in a bottle so we can get back to camp.”

“No!” said the fairy, darting back, trying to hide behind Hyrule. “Bad! Bad! No bottle! No squish wings!”

( _you hurt someone he cares about. why wouldn’t he do the same to you?_ )

“She doesn’t want it,” said Hyrule. His legs could move again, shifting his body to help block the fairy.

Wild let out a scream, hands clawing at the air. “I don’t care! If it can help Twilight, I don’t care!”

“Leave her alone!” Hyrule pushed back. He saw the fairies teaching him to fly, risking their lives to keep him safe. He saw them being forced into bottles, wings bent by careless human hands, suffocating in the stale air, beating their hands against glass over and over and over.

“What is wrong with you?”

( _he’ll just squish it between his hands. snuff out its light just to make you hurt_ )

“I’m not going to let you hurt her!” Wild had vanished. In his place, Hyrule saw a moblin, slobbering. A greedy soldier, hungry for more power. His own living shadow, darkness stretched across their skin. “Stay away!”

Without thinking, without seeing, without realizing how far into his mind he’d gone, Hyrule pulled back his fist and swung.

There was a crack, and something wet dribbled onto Hyrule’s fingers.

_Red,_ he thought, blinking slowly as reality returned. _That’s red. That’s…blood?_

Wild stared at him, wide eyed, nose bent and dripping red. Dripping blood.

All the heat and anger inside of Hyrule turned to ice.

( _good hit_ )

“No,” whispered Hyrule. “I didn’t want to do that. That wasn’t me. Wild, I - ”

His words were sliced away as Wild lunged at him, tackling to the ground.

Everything blurred after that.

They were rolling in the dirt, grabbing at each other’s hair, smashing their fists against whatever they could hit. Wild’s elbow nearly knocked out one of Hyrule’s eyes. Hyrule’s hand clawed against the ruined skin on Wild’s face. Blood splattered from one to the other as they growled, cursed, screamed. Teeth cracked. Ribs broke. Any pain eaten away by the all-consuming need to make the other hero hurt.

( _yes._ _hurt him. hurt them all_ )

“I hate you,” Wild spat, smashing two of Hyrule’s fingers against a rock. Hyrule barely felt them shatter. “Twilight’s going to die and it’s all your fault and I hate - I hate - ” Something in the words made Wild pause for a second, made him struggle to breathe and forget to fight.

A second was all Hyrule needed to pin Wild down and press his arm against the champion’s throat. “Don’t move,” he said, his voice trapped between a whisper and a snarl. Half his, and half not.

( _you've got him. do it_ )

“I’m sorry,” said Hyrule. “I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t understand why any of this is happening.”

( _do it. do it. end him and run. end him before he ends you_ )

“But it’s my fault. You’re right about that. It’s all my fault and I know you won’t ever forgive me, because I won’t ever forgive myself either.”

( _press a little harder. no one else is here_ )

“And I know you wish I was dead and that none of this ever happened to him. I know that and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

( _do it_ )

“I’m so sorry, Wild.”

( _kill him_ )

Hyrule pulled back his arm and slammed his fist into the ground. “But, please," he begged, "don’t hurt that fairy. Don’t hurt my family. Please.”

Tears and blood dripped from Hyrule’s face onto Wild’s, the champion’s eyes dazed as he stared back up. Wild opened his mouth, blood stained between his teeth as he tried to speak.

And then another voice slashed through the air.

“What the hell are you two doing?”

Warriors.

With one hand he grabbed the back of Hyrule’s tunic, the other on Wild’s. Warriors ripped them apart, hauling them both onto their feet. “I think you both need to be reminded of the state we’re in,” he said, making Hyrule shiver. He’d had never heard this voice from the captain before. Cold, commanding, merciless. Each word like a blade to his throat, demanding an answer. Or else.

“We’ve lost our friend to a servant of evil,” Warriors continued. “We’re low on supplies, exhausted, and not in an ideal state to fight back against an attack, especially in the middle of the night. So why, after one of you disappears without warning, and the other rushes off from camp after being ordered not to, do I find the two of you not only causing a ruckus loud enough to attract any potential monsters for miles around, but also beating the shit out of each other like children?” He looked back and forth between them both. “Well?”

Hyrule bit his lip. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fairy, hiding in a patch of long grass, absolutely terrified of them all. 

( _you should have killed him. you should have run_ )

“I’m waiting.”

“Hyrule followed a fairy,” mumbled Wild, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “Said it could help Twilight.”

Warriors glared down at Hyrule. “Is that true?”

Hyrule nodded. “I know how to help him. Not with the fairy. She…it’s a long story.”

“Then you can explain it to everyone back at camp.” Warriors began to walk, pulling them along with him. “And if either of you ever does something like this again, I’ll - ”

“Kill us?” said Hyrule.

Warriors' eyes flickered to him, all the ice and iron gone. They shone with hurt, like Hyrule had carved a gash across his heart. Like deep down he was as scared and lost and lonely as Hyrule had once been.

Hyrule turned away, his gaze going back to where the tiny fairy hid. “Fly now, strange sister,” he whispered. “Go.”

“But…” the grass around her shook, her whole body trembling. “But okay? Strange brother okay?”

_No_ , he thought, but he couldn’t tell her that. She’d done enough, more than enough, and he wouldn’t put her or any others in anymore danger. Instead, he smiled, hiding all his fear as far back in his heart as he could. “Fly,” he said again, and then let Warriors drag him and Wild back to the others.

***

The others swarmed Hyrule the second the three of them returned. Questions buzzed around him as Warriors pushed him towards the fire, forcing him to sit by its warmth.

“Where were you?”

“What happened?”

“Are you okay?”

“What the fuck happened to your face?”

“Nothing,” said Hyrule, eyes flickering around the camp, settling on where Malice sat. Someone had tied a rag around its mouth, binding its poisonous mouth shut. It should have been a relief, seeing that it couldn’t use its words to hurt them anymore. But its eyes were filled with so much delighted savagery that it made Hyrule's skin crawl.

_I know how to stop you now,_ thought Hyrule. _I just have to convince the others that this is what we have to do._

( _but are you really going to risk telling them the truth?_ )

Sky tipped a few drops of red potion onto a cloth. “Dab this on your cuts,” he suggested, before doing the same for Wild. “Are either of you hurt anywhere else?”

Hyrule shook his head. They shouldn’t have been wasting precious healing supplies on something so trivial. So stupid.

_My fault, again. Another mistake to add to the list._

( _another reason for them all to despise you_ )

“I want to know what you were doing out there by yourself in the middle of the night,” said Legend. Exhaustion weighed against him, dulling his eyes. “What the hell, ‘Rule? You’re smarter than that.”

_I need to tell them now. The whole truth. Once they know, we can save Twilight, and maybe they’ll forgive me for running off on them. Maybe they’ll not hate me for causing all this pain in the first place._ “I found something out.”

“From who?” said Four.

“From a fairy,” mumbled Wild.

“Wild.” Time turned his stern gaze onto the champion. “Let him speak.”

Hyrule took in a deep breath. “She - ”

( _are you really sure that’s a good idea?_ )

“She told me - ”

( _do it. tell them what that false goddess said. the one they all hate. tell them why she picked you. what you have on your hand_ )

“She said - ”

( _what you have in your blood_ )

“She said what?” asked Sky.

All of their eyes were on him, waiting for an answer. For the truth.

Too many eyes.

_I can’t. I can’t do it. I can’t tell them._

_Goddess forgive me, but this lie will have to do._

  
“She told me that she’d been in the clearing when the attack happened. She’d been playing in the leaves and hidden when she saw me and Wolfie - I mean, me and Twilight. She saw the eye, the one responsible for everything, attached to a broken Guardian. It used that to escape.”

Wild froze.

“What do you mean by ‘the eye’?” asked Sky.

“It’s a kind of monster,” said Four. “Wild explained it to Hyrule and I when we went searching before. It’s the one that controls the infection.” His cast a quick glance at Malice, listening to their conversation. “And, by that logic, the one currently controlling Twilight.”

“So if we kill it, then he’ll be okay.” Wind grinned. “That’s how possession works, right? You kill the source and then the person in trouble becomes free, right?”

Hyrule nodded. “That’s what she said. The fairy, I mean.”

“Where?” said Wild, the word scrapping out of his throat. “Where’d it go?”

“She doesn’t know where it went. But it…” Hyrule tried to remember the broken Guardian he’d seen, any small detail that could give them an extra clue. “It was really run down. One of its legs was missing, I think.”

“Did she say anything else?” asked Warriors. “A direction it was headed, if there were any others like it nearby, how fast it could travel without all of its limbs intact? Anything like that?”

Hyrule shook his head. “Just to find it and burn out the eye.”

Four sighed. “Too bad you didn’t capture her. I know you hate putting them in bottles, ‘Rule, but this time it could’ve been useful.”

“I wasn’t about to punish her for helping us,” snapped Hyrule.

"Enough." Time’s voice rattled Hyrule’s bones. The word came out in a quiet, biting tone, disappointment etched into his face. “What’s done is done. Do you have any idea where it could be hiding, Wild?”

“I know where we could start.” Wild took out his Sheikah Slate, hands shaking, and tapped at the screen until a part of the map became larger. “Torin Wetlands. There’s ton of broken ones there, kind of like a graveyard for Guardians. If it wanted to blend in and hide - or switch to a new one to control - that would be the good spot.”

“Then we’ll go there and search,” said Time.

“There’s just one problem with that plan,” said Sky, gesturing towards Malice. “What do we do with it?”

“Splitting up again might not be the best plan,” said Legend. “If this thing is powerful enough to possess Twilight and one of those murder machines at the same time, then it’ll probably take more than one of us to kill it.”

“I agree,” said Time. He rubbed a hand down his face, hunched over as he thought. “Nor can we leave it alone. We have no choice but to take it with us.”

“Is that wise?” asked Sky. All of them cast a nervous glance back at Malice.

Time smile was grim. “Probably not. But right now, it’s the only option we have.”

“Then we better get moving before this thing has a chance to run again.” Like he had with Wild and Hyrule earlier, Warriors hauled Malice up, a knife kept sharp at its throat. “On your feet, monster.”

Malice’s eyes only burned brighter.

***

The trek to the Torin Wetlands took hours, Wild’s Sheikah Slate leading the way. The group stuck rigidly to the path it mapped out as it guided them over rocky hills and through small, autumn coloured groves. Hyrule couldn’t focus on the world around him, barely noticing the tower that loomed in the distance as they walked closer and closer. Malice marched in front of him, mouth still bound shut, Warrior’s knife never wavering from its throat. Not once did it stumble.

Not once did its yellow eyes stop smirking.

By the time they reached their destination, it was midday. The wetlands stretched out before them, muddy ground covered in red-leafed trees and hundreds of broken Guardians. A graveyard for them, that’s what Wild had called it. Hyrule had no doubt that it was a Hylian as well, with plenty of old bones buried beneath the muck and reeds.

“Great,” said Legend, crossing his arms. “We’re finally here. Now what’s the plan?”

“We search,” said Time. He and Warriors tied Malice to tree, tugging the knots tight.

“There’s so many of them,” said Wind, a hand shading his eyes as he scanned the area. “How will we know which is the one we’re looking for?”

“It’ll have malice on it,” said Wild, still tapping at his slate. “Purple and black liquid, thick like tar. And, if it’s the right one, it’ll have a big, glowing yellow eye attached to it as well.”

“Hit the eye,” grumbled Legend. “Why is that almost always the answer to our problems?”

“Do not touch the infected liquid,” warned Warriors, giving Malice one last glare. “We do not want to risk anyone else getting possessed.”

“Better to go in pairs as well,” added Time, “We don’t know what other monsters might be lurking out here. Who wants to search together?”

The only reply to Time’s order were restless crickets chirping in the wet grass. Hyrule couldn’t make himself look at the other heroes. Before, breaking into groups had been easy. He’d cherished the chance to work with any of the others, someone to fight and joke beside during whatever little quest interrupted their adventure. But now…

_Can’t I just do this myself?_ he thought. _I killed three other Guardians. I could handle this one._

Time sighed. “I know we’re all still shaken from earlier conversations,” he cast a dark glare at Malice as he spoke, “but we need to work together to find this monster. To save Twilight and keep each other safe as well. So, I’ll ask again: who’s searching together?”

Warriors spoke first. “I’ll go with Legend,” he said, erasing any chance of Hyrule picking the veteran as his partner.

“Fine,” said Legend. The two walked off together in silence, all their usual banter gone.

( _did you really think he'd pick you over the others? did you think you were special, that he saw anything of worth in you at all?_ )

“I could search with Four,” said Sky.

“What if we don’t want to?” snapped the smithy, eyes a vivid blue. “What if we just want to search by ourselves? We don’t need any of the others for this.”

“You’re speaking in plural again,” said Hyrule.

( _the crazy one's breaking apart again_ )

Four flinched. “I didn’t mean that,” he said, anger gone, mood swinging like a pendulum. Again his eyes had changed, now red, warm as embers. Why did they keep doing that? “I’m sorry, Sky. We’re - I’m just tired. Didn’t sleep well.”

Sky gave him a faint smile. “I understand.”

Did he? Hyrule felt like he understood less and less with each minute that passed. _Yesterday, I thought I had a family. Now, I don’t know who any of these people really are._

The two left to search near what looked like the shore of a lake. That left Hyrule with a choice between Wind and Wild.

Time made the decision before he could. “Alright. Wild, you’ll come with me, and Wind will search with Hyrule. Understood?”

( _the liar. do you feel safe with him?_ )

_No. Not really._

“And that one?” Wild nodded towards where Malice had been tied. “Are we really just going to leave it there?”

“You and I will stay nearby,” said Time. “There’s plenty in this immediate area for us to search. Hyrule and Wind can take the area close the mountainside. That okay for the two of you?”

Hyrule tried to be positive about it. _He’s shorter than me, and he’s not wearing any armour. He doesn’t know I have the Triforce, but if he tries anything, I could take him easy. Even without my magic, I could -_

_\- oh, Goddess, what am I thinking? What is wrong with me?_

“Hyrule?” Time said again, a little louder.

“Sure.” Hyrule shrugged. “That way’s fine.” _These slopes aren’t all that steep. More like a hill than some of the ones I’ve had to deal with before. Easy to climb, if I needed to get a higher view of the land._

A voice whispered in his mind and blood.

( _or if you needed to run away_ )

Hyrule nodded. _Or if I needed to run away._

***

Neither of Hyrule or Wind spoke to one another as they searched. Every little noise around them made Hyrule twitch, his hand never leaving his sword. Warm coloured darners darted past, and pink-winged cranes let out a loud squawk as they flew overhead. When Hyrule tipped his head back to follow them, he could see the tower, watching them all from its peak. An otherwise peaceful place, tainted by the threat of what they could find, and the horrible possibilities of what might happen if they could not.

Wind hummed, tapping and poking at each broken Guardian they passed, slipping ancient screws and springs into his pocket.

( _thief_ )

“What?”

“I didn’t say anything,” said Hyrule.

“Right. Sure you didn't.” Wind rolled his eyes. “I know what you’re thinking, Hyrule.”

“No, you don’t.”

“You’re thinking, ‘gee, I wonder if this kid next to me really is a hero? He’s younger than the rest of us and didn’t know what a fish was when we first met him, so how did the gods end up choosing him? Maybe he made all that stuff up and is just a dumb nobody tagging along for the adventure.”

“I wasn’t thinking that,” said Hyrule, which was true. _I’m afraid that you’re something far worse. Something I’m all too familiar with._

( _liar. thief. backstabber. monster_ )

“Really? You’ve sure acted like it.” Wind kicked at a loose rock, crossing his arms over his chest. “All of you are. Did you know, I tried to hand Legend his bag before we left this morning and he checked through it to make sure nothing was missing? Or, that I tried to help Warriors when we were looking for you and he told me to keep my hands where he could see them? Or, that Sky asked me over and over and over if I knew where you’d disappeared to, and no matter how many times I answered that I didn’t know, he kept asking? He didn’t believe me.” Wind’s voice cracked, tears threatening to break through his words. “Nobody believes me anymore.”

“What else did you expect?” said Hyrule, pushing down the sympathy that tried to rise in his heart. “You stole the Triforce, Wind.”

“No, I didn’t!” Wind snapped back. “I collected the pieces! They were broken, scattered across the Great Sea. I had to get them before Ganon did to save everything.”

_Just like I did_ , thought Hyrule, hiding his left hand behind his back. _What makes me any different than Wind?_

( _are you a thief? are you a liar?_ )

_No. Maybe a little? Only because I have to be!_ Hyrule shook his head. _I’m not like Wind. I’m a hero, not a pirate. Not a power-hungry thief or a glory-hunting liar._

Wind kept talking. “It wasn’t even my idea in the first place! The king said it was the only way to power the Master Sword. That it was okay for me to take them all. And if the ruler of Hyrule tells you to do it, then it’s not a crime. Then it’s returning, not stealing. Right?”

Hyrule remembered the story of Aurora’s brother, a prince of Hyrule. How his greed for the Triforce was so strong that it would drive his sister into a cursed slumber. “Not always.”

“And, anyway, it’s not just me that thing said stuff about,” said Wind, glaring at the ground. “It talked about everyone. Four and Sky and Wild and Warriors, and you too, Hyrule.”

Hyrule flinched. “I’m not a liar.”

A voice laughed in his blood, vicious and delighted.

( _maybe not before. but you’re learning to be_ )

_Shut up, monster._

Wind’s head snapped up, his eyes going wide. “What did you just call me?”

“Nothing!” Had he said that out loud? “I wasn’t - I didn’t mean to say - ”

“You know what, fuck you, Hyrule!” Wind’s whole body shook. “You have no right to act like you’re better than the rest of us. Like you don’t have secrets too! It called you the Hero of Ganon. It’s ‘favourite’. What did you do in your adventure to earn that, huh Hyrule?”

( _he’s trying to hurt you now. better hurt him back_ )

Hyrule kept his hands still at his sides. He wouldn’t start a fight, not again. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t another way to strike back. “Why don’t you wear green?”

The question hit just as Hyrule knew it would: straight through Wind’s heart. The boy shrank under the words. “I…I just don’t like the colour any more,” he said, stumbling through the explanation. Another lie, this one more obvious than any of the others he’d told before. “On me, I mean. It looks fine on the rest of you. Just not on me.”

( _make him hurt more_ )

“But you used to wear it,” Hyrule pressed. “What's the big deal? It’s just a colour. Why would something so small matter to someone whose supposed to be a hero? What did you do in your adventure to change that, huh Wind?”

Wind opened his mouth, maybe to lie some more, maybe to finally admit the truth. But Time marched towards them, Wild at his heels, and the sailor snapped his mouth shut.

“Any luck, boys?” asked Time.

“Nothing yet,” said Hyrule.

“We’re not done looking yet, though,” said Wind. “There’s still a chance we’ll find something.”

“Maybe,” said Time. In the clear, midday light, Hyrule could see the dark shadows around Time’s good eye, the way he repeatedly yanked at his hair to keep himself awake.

_He didn’t get any sleep at all last night_ , thought Hyrule, remembering the music. _If we’re all exhausted, then he has to be feeling even worse._

( _a sloppy leader gets his followers killed. he's no help at all. he's nothing_ )

“What are you doing here, anyway?” asked Wind. “I thought you were watching you-know-who. You didn’t leave it alone, did you?”

Time shook his head. “Warriors and Legend are keeping an eye on it. Wild wanted to investigate something over here with his Sheikah Slate.”

Wild didn’t bother to make any sound or movement of acknowledgment. His sole focus was the slate, tapping and frowning and dragging his fingers across its screen.

Wind inched closer. “What’s he doing?”

( _wasting time while everyone else struggles. failing his friend like he’s failed so many others before_ )

“Apparently there’s some function on it that lets him track certain monsters and ingredients,” explained Time. “Wild’s hoping he can find a way to use it to help narrow down our search.”

“That would be easier if this thing would fucking work!” Wild looked ready to chuck the device against the mountainside. “Stupid, ancient piece of junk!”

“Did you drop it?” asked Wind.

“No!”

“So, what’s wrong?”

“This.” Wild turned the screen around so that the other three could see. He pointed at three spots, each encircled by a flashing green ring. “See?”

“Not really,” Hyrule admitted. “I don’t know what any of that means.” _How is this supposed to help?_

Wild shot him a glare. “I’m trying to get it to track the malice, and this is what shows up. That one’s Twi-Malice, and that one’s the tower. But what is that?”

“The Guardian that we’re all looking for?” said Wind.

“No,” said Wild.

“Of course not,” muttered Time.

“I tried to modify it to look for Guardian-malice, but nothing showed up. So I tried just malice, and now there’s this third thing that keeps growing and spreading out. See! There’s more now!” Wild pulled at his hair in frustration. “What does it mean?”

“Its moving,” said Hyrule. He reached out, but Wild pulled the slate back before he could touch it.

“Keep your hands off!”

“Sorry. I just…” Something about the map nagged at Hyrule. Sent the alarm bells at the back of his head ringing. Old instincts screaming at him to pay attention. “Why is it following that blue line?”

“What?” Wild glanced back down at the slate, tapping at it again.

Wind moved up to his side, standing on his tip-toes to get a better look. “Hey, Hyrule’s right. There is a blue line. And those weird green circles are following it.”

“That’s us,” said Wild. “That’s the path we took. I made the slate track us so we wouldn’t get lost. But, if the slate is tracking malice…”

“Then the malice is tracking us,” finished Hyrule. It took a minute for his words to sink in, for everyone - himself included - to understand what he’d just said. What that meant. “The malice is coming here - ”

Time swore, grabbing his sword, screaming for the others. Wild and Wind chased after him. Hyrule tried to follow but his feet refused to work. He stumbled into the mud, as his body burned, suddenly feverish. The world spun as someone laughed and laughed.

A hand yanked him up, shook him back into the real world.

Legend.

“What’s wrong?” the veteran shouted. “Hyrule, what the hell is going on?”

“Trap,” mumbled Hyrule, the word slurred, as monsters thundered down from the mountainside. Packs of bokoblins and moblins, malice dripping out of their mouths, oozing out of their eyes. Screaming as they tore down the rocks. Charged for the heroes. Leading the ambush stomped a hinox, the ground quaking as it walked, pinning everything beneath the gaze of its large, yellow eye.

( _too late to run now_ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone who was hoping that Hyrule and Wild would make up in this chapter, I'm sorry :P


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My Hero of Ganon. My favourite. Mine

Noise buzzed around Hyrule. Time yelling orders. Swords being drawn by the other heroes. Legend spitting out a string of curses. All of it went faint, far away. His eyes snapped to Malice. Still bound to the tree. Still gagged silent as the horde of monsters charged past and threw themselves at the heroes. Its yellow eyes shone with a sickening, sadistic glee.

( _there is no escape from_ ** _my_** _eyes_ )

Then a bokoblin’s bomb arrow exploded behind Hyrule, throwing him into the fight. Hyrule grabbed his shield from his back and raised it just as a black moblin charged at him. Its spiked club bashed against the wood, nearly knocking Hyrule off his feet. _Focus! Don’t die!_ He sidestepped the next attack, the moblin stumbling as it missed. _Kill it now!_ His sword cut across the monster, sending a spray of black blood - malice - everywhere.

( _keep killing_ )

Another bomb arrow blasted against the mountain slopes, raining down chunks of charred rock. One smacked against Hyrule’s head. The world spun, filled with black stars. Something hot and wet slipped down from his forehead to chin.

_Get up!_ He steadied his feet and raised his sword right before a blade could slice him in half. Snarls and screams surrounded him, bokoblins closing in from every side.

( _careful hero_ )

_Sword up. Eyes up._ _Keep moving._ Hyrule ducked under a bokoblin’s spear thrust, blocked an attack at his left. Malice from fallen monsters left black, smoking pools on the muddy ground.

( _do you want to die?_ )

_No!_ _Don’t die. Can’t die!_ With each monster he cut down, two more took its place. Too many monsters. Too many ways to die. Blood made half his vision red. _New strategy_ , he thought. _I need to take down as many as I can in one attack._

( _good._ _keep killing_ )

_I will._ He steadied his weight, gripped his sword tight. Allowed the monsters come in just a step closer. _I won’t stop. I won’t die here!_

( _kill them all_ )

_Kill them all!_ With as much force as he could, he spun, the edge of his blade slicing across each monster.

( _good!_ _keep going_ )

Of course he would keep going! He’d slaughter each monster. He’d kill anything that got in his way. He would not - could not - die, not after everything he survived. Not with the curse on his blood just begging for a chance to be unleashed upon the world. Head spinning, he didn’t give himself any time to rest or rethink his plan. He raised his blade again, a whirlwind of steel. _Can’t die! Won’t die! I’ll kill you all!_

His sword locked against another blade, halting his attack.

“Watch it, Hyrule!”

Legend, blood stains on his hat, in his hair, stood on the other side of the sword. “Hyrule,” he said again. “Its me. Okay? Drop the sword.”

( _a trick. another trap)_

Hyrule didn’t move. “I need to kill them all.”

_(keep going. keep attacking before he attacks you_ )

“Now’s really not the time for you to lose your mind, Rule!”

Rule. Not his name. A nickname. _I’d never had one of those before I met these other heroes. I’d never been a part of any group before._

( _kill them!_ )

_No. Not my friends. Not my family._ Slowly, Hyrule lowered his blade. “Monsters?” he said, searching. The only ones nearby were the bodies he’d cut apart with his spin attack, but he could see more coming down the mountainside. A second wave ready to tear them all to pieces.

_The others!_

He’d erased them from his mind during the fight. Hadn’t noticed where they were. Hadn’t thought about if they were okay. Hadn’t cared about them at all. But now he could see them, scattered apart from each other. Sky slicing through moblins, Wind dashing to avoid another bomb arrow and Time struggling to stay on his feet. Four taking cover behind a broken Guardian, Warriors raising his shield to block an attack and Wild firing arrow after arrow at the hinox, desperate to bring it down.

And in the centre of them all, Malice, revelling in their suffering.

_I should be helping them_ , thought Hyrule, but his feet refused to move. “You’re bleeding.”

“I’ve had worse.” Legend’s eyes darted rapidly from one hero to another. “You got any magic?”

Hyrule shook his head. “Out.” No time to rest since the Flying Guardian fight. No time to recover any of his power.

( _kill them all or run_ )

The hinox’s roar cut apart their conversation as it ripped out one of the trees. Like a child swatting at ants, it bashed the wood against the ground before chucking it the heroes. Hyrule dove out of the way as the tree smashed into the ground. He hit the dirt, hard, mud and malice splattering in the air, splashing onto his face. It burned against his skin and lips as he tried to wipe it off.

Legend, somehow still standing, grabbed at a string around his neck. “Fuck it all! I hate using these things!”

“Use what?”

But Legend ignored Hyrule’s question as he held up a circular pendant to the sky.

_A medallion,_ thought Hyrule, as magic sent a shiver running through the air. _But I thought I was the only one who could use magic?_ Legend yelled out a word - a spell? - that Hyrule had never heard before.

The medallion glowed.

The wind answered.

It howled around the wetlands. Screaming, sending shivers down Hyrule’s spine. Like a beast it tore at the monsters, hunted each one down, its icy claws freezing them from the inside out. The hinox dropped to its knees as its limbs became coated in in frostbite, its yellow eye hardening into solid ice as it let out one last shriek.

Legend dropped to the ground, breathing hard, arms shaking, and the everything went silent as the wind disappeared.

They’d won, somehow. They’d survived. All the monsters were either frozen in place or lying dead in the mud.

It was over.

So why didn’t Hyrule feel safe?

“That was magic,” said Hyrule, staring down at the veteran. He couldn’t make himself put his sword and shield away. Couldn’t extend a hand and help Legend back up onto his feet. “You never told us you could use magic.”

“Rule - ”

“You never told me. Why - ” _How long has he been able to do that? What else can he do?_ Hyrule’s voice broke. “Why did you let me believe I was the only one?”

_(what other secrets does he have hidden away in that bag of his?)_

Legend wouldn’t meet his eyes. “The others have used magic. Wind’s got that baton, and Warriors has his fire rod. And hell, you’ve seen my ring collection. What do you think powers all those?”

“That’s not the same, and you know it.” Those were objects infused with power, the essence within them able to be controlled by people. The medallion Legend had used had only been a conduit for his own magical ability. “That came from you.”

_Why didn’t you say anything? I could have used your help. With healing. With casting spells and learning new ones. How many other fights could have been easier if you’d told us? Do you hate it? Is that why you curse the Goddess, why you’d keep such a useful secret buried underneath your tunic?_

_Do you hate me for having magic too?_

( _perhaps you should claim the hero title of delusional for believing he ever cared about you at all_ )

“Can we not have this conversation while I’m sinking into the fucking mud, Hyrule?” Legend pushed himself up, his legs coated in dirt and malice. “Shit. This black gunk burns.” He closed his eyes and nearly fell back down again. “I hate this.”

“Stamina drain,” said Hyrule, a spark of pity breaking through his anger. He knew the feeling all too well. The veteran swayed again and Hyrule finally found the strength to grab his shoulder. “Come on. You need to rest for a minute.”

“Right. Rest.” Legend sighed as they made their way towards the others. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s gonna be happening anytime soon.”

Everyone had gathered around Malice, though Wild drifted away to do one last sweep around the area to make sure there wasn’t a missed bokoblin hiding nearby. No one had come out of the fight without some injury, blood and mud and malice staining their tunics. Only Malice stood unscathed, not a scratch or drop of blood on it.

Hyrule’s fingers shook. _I wish I could tear out those eyes._

( _what’s stopping you?_ )

He ignored the thought. “Is everyone okay?” Hyrule asked, dumping Legend beside Time. The oldest hero sat on log, head in his hands, barely conscious.

“We’re all alive, thank the Goddess.” Sky lifted up the hem of his sailcloth, running his fingers along a large rip that scarred the fabric. “That was much too close.”

Wind stared at Legend, wide-eyed. “Did you just control the - ”

“Not in the mood to talk about it,” snapped Legend, nudging Time in the shoulder. “Hey! You alive, Old Man?”

A weak nod was the only answer. _He doesn’t have any energy left_ , Hyrule thought. The ambush and lack of sleep, the worry for Twilight, the struggle to keep their group from fracturing even more; all of it had come crashing down on the man, breaking Time under its weight.

“What do we do now?” said Four, cradling his left wrist. Had he broken it?

Warriors cast a quick glance towards Time, then sighed. “We need to heal first. Wild, do you have any more potions or fairies in your slate?”

Wild ignored him, and instead marched straight up to Malice. He yanked the gag off, met the monster’s cruel grin with absolute hatred. “You sent those monsters after us. Didn’t you?”

**“Very clever, Hero of Failures. Decoding my plans after they have already happened.”**

“How many more are under your control? Where are they?”

“Wild…” Sky stepped forward, slowly pulling the champion back from Malice. “We all agreed not to get too close. Remember?”

**“Poor hero. Did you really think this land was safe? That you’d finally completed your the task after one hundred years of slumber? My Master still lurks in this earth, Hero of Failures, far below what your pitiful eyes can see. It was easy for me to send a sliver of His forces down upon you. So very easy.”**

“Your plan failed though,” said Four. “We’re all alive and you’re still our prisoner.”

**“Prisoner?”** Malice tipped back its head and laughed. **“I am not the one trapped, Hero of Madness. Fools, all of you, thinking you can win. I cannot wait to see you all broken.”**

“Is that why you didn’t escape?” said Hyrule.

**“There is no need for such a thing. I have no intention of running away with this body. Keeping it near your pain only increases its suffering. If you had died, I would have watched the mongrel rot surrounded by your corpses, bound by your own hands and unable to help as you all bled out around him.”** Malice shrugged. **“Perhaps next time.”**

“You sick bastard,” muttered Legend.

Malice kept talking. **“Speaking of the mongrel, you haven’t heard for him in a while, have you? How worried you all must be. The two of us have been having such delightful conversations. You should hear what he has to say.”**

“What the hell does that mean?” asked Wind.

Malice grinned. **“Let me show you.”**

Yellow faded from its eyes as Malice purposely released some of its control. Blue, warm and familiar took over. Twilight returned, that cruel grin vanishing, face twisting into a terrified grimace.

“Twi?” said Wild.

Twilight started to scream.

He jerked against the ropes, legs bending as his body tried to collapse, sobbing and begging in broken half-words, screaming in pure agony.

_Goddess above_ , thought Hyrule, bile rising in his throat. Once, when he’d been little, Hyrule had watched moblin set a man on fire. He’d seen the Hylian’s skin become engulfed in flames, heard the man’s endless shrieks as he burned.

This was worse.

_What is it doing to Twilight in there?_

Wild tried to rush forward, but Sky held on, dragging him even further back. Tears ran down Sky’s face, his eyes looking at everything but Twilight.

“Let me go!”

“No! Listen to me, Wild, it’s another trap!”

“I need to help him!” Wild fought to escape Sky’s grip. “Please! Please! I need to help him!”

“You can’t,” said Sky, holding Wild close as the champion broke down.

Legend shook, arms wrapped around his chest, biting his lip so hard it bled. Time forced his head up, his look of guilt and grief so strong it hit Hyrule like a punch to the stomach. Four covered his eyes, dropping to the ground on his knees. Wind dashed a few steps away and threw up.

Twilight continued to scream, to beg, to shatter into pieces in front of them.

“Enough.” Warriors stepped forward, sword raised. “This stops now.”

“What are you doing?” asked Hyrule, his voice barely above a whisper, terrified of the answer.

“Ending this.”

( _of course. because_ _that’s how the Captain solves all his problems. with an execution_ )

Wild lost it. Again, he struggled against Sky’s hold, kicking, biting Sky’s arms with his teeth. _No! No! No!_ Unable to speak, his hands signing one word over and over _. No! No! No!_

Sky only tightened his grip, sharing a long look with Warriors. “In Skyloft, we are taught that there are times when death can be a mercy,” he said, voice thick with tears. “That if your loftwing’s wings are torn beyond healing, it is better to help guide them into Hylia’s arms than to prolong their misery.”

Warriors nodded. “It’s what needs to be done.”

“You cannot be fucking serious,” spat Legend. He tried to stand up, only to collapse back onto the ground. “Fuck! Warriors, you can’t - you can’t -”

Four remained kneeling in the mud, hands now covering his mouth, pressing hard against his lips. His eyes swirled, colours mixing together into an indistinguishable mess. Time had finally passed out, unable to help. Unable to do anything.

( _such a leader you chose to follow. good for nothing_ )

Hyrule couldn’t breathe.

( _it was only a matter of time before he turned his sword against you all. this is how he’ll treat anyone tainted by darkness. this is what he’ll do to you_ )

Couldn’t move.

But Wind could. “You can’t!” he yelled, throwing himself between the two, his own sword out and pointed at the Captain’s throat. “I won’t let you!”

“Step aside, Wind!”

“He’s our friend! How can you even think about doing something like that?”

“Listen to him!” Warriors pointed at Twilight: still in pain, still screaming. “How long are we going to let that go on? Trapped and tortured by one of the worst monsters imaginable? I won’t let him suffer in this way any longer. Now, move.”

“Fuck you,” snarled Wind.

( _who will you join? the executioner or the liar?_ )

_I don’t know. I don’t know what to do._ His family had been replaced by strangers, all of them divided from one another. Wild fighting against a crying Sky. Time still unresponsive and Legend uselessly swearing. Four lost in his mind, arguing with whatever voices filled its cracks. Warriors and Wind preparing to slice each other to pieces all while Twilight screamed and screamed and _oh Goddess, please, make it stop, make him stop screaming please!_

No divine help came from the heavens. No mercy. Each hero broke and all Hyrule could do was watch as his blood burned.

( _you could use this_ )

_No._

( _run now. let them kill each other. less for you to deal with later_ )

_No!_

( _less for you to fight against when they turn their swords on you_ )

_I said no!_

( _because they will. you know they will_ )

_Stop it! Please._

( _first they will stab you in the back. then they will cut off your hand and keep your power for their own agendas_ )

_Please!_

( _but not if you run away_ )

“Shut up! I’m not running away! I’m not going to listen to you!”

“Hyrule,” said Four, muddy coloured eyes locked onto him. “Who are you talking to?”

The world froze. All the other heroes turned. Armed. Angry. Eyes aimed at him. It fuelled the fire in Hyrule’s veins, on the patches of his skin where the malice had splattered. On his lips. In his mouth.

( _they know_ ** _i’m_** _here_ )

“I…” Hyrule couldn’t think of a lie. His mouth wouldn’t work, couldn’t make any sound other than a pained whine.

( _do you even know_ ** _i’m_** _here, hero? do you even realize what_ ** _i_** _am?_ )

“I don’t know,” he whispered, because he didn’t. The voice just wouldn’t stop, slowly growing louder and louder since the first attack. Since malice had stained his tunic as he carried Wolfie back to the camp. Since Malice had opened its yellow eyes and seared them into his soul. He reached up and grabbed his head. “Its not me. I’m not saying that. I’d never…”

The screaming had stopped. Malice was back, grinning, those poisonous, yellow eyes staring down at Hyrule.

**“Mine,”** it said, victorious and vicious. **“My voice, my power, my soon-to-be new puppet.”**

( ** _my Hero of Ganon. my favourite. mine_** )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you all have no idea how long I've been waiting to get to this part :D
> 
> (also, since Legend hasn't used the medallions once in the comic, I'm going with the assumption that no one else knows about them. The veteran has a lot of stuff he doesn't talk about after all...)
> 
> And this fic has more fan art! (AND ITS ALL AMAZING!!!!)
> 
> JennGo_Draws made this amazing piece: https://jenngodraws.tumblr.com/post/640687909776900096/their-ganon-titles-i-think-it-s-time-for-some
> 
> Macaroonkitti drew this scene from Chapter Six: https://macaroonkitti.tumblr.com/post/640212981273198592/the-new-malevolence-update-made-me-want-to-draw 
> 
> Thank you so much! And thank you to everyone who has read, left kudos and comments on this fic. I love you all!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You want it to stop, don’t you? Then give up. Tear out their eyes. Tear out yours.
> 
> “Please,” Hyrule begged, breaking. “Just leave me alone.”

**Did you really think you were safe from me?**

The world swirled, vanishing in a haze of red. All that remained was a voice, blood dripping from each word it spoke. It wrapped itself around Hyrule’s throat, tighter and tighter until he couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe.

_“Hy - ”_

**That you were special? That your useless goddess would bother to cast any sort of protection over your soul?**

_“Can you hear - ”_

**Foolish hero.**

_“Goddammit! Hy - ”_

**There is no escape from the power of my Master.**

_“Leave him al - ”_

**There is no escape from me.**

_“HYRULE!”_

Light broke through the red. The world returned: wetlands scarred from the ambush, the other heroes surrounding Hyrule, the ones still able to stand with weapons in their hands. Too many eyes. There were too many eyes staring at him. His fingers twisted in his hair. _Stop it! Stop looking at me!_

**Tear them out.**

_No._ He dug his fingers deeper into his head, trying to rip Malice’s voice out of his skull. _Those aren’t my thoughts. That’s not me! I’d never do that._

_Would I?_

**You want it to stop, don’t you? Then give up. Tear out their eyes. Tear out yours.**

“Please,” Hyrule begged, breaking. “Just leave me alone.”

“I’m going to fucking kill you for this,” snarled Legend. Hyrule flinched, but all of the veteran’s fury was focused on Malice.

**“Yes, you’re such a threat from down on the ground. Can you even stand up, Hero of Delusions? Can you do anything other than run that foul mouth of yours?”**

Four, to everyone’s horror, giggled. High-pitched and shaking, like a mirror about to shatter. Sky released Wild and stared back and forth between Hyrule and Malice in absolute horror. Wind had moved to Time’s side, shaking the oldest hero. “Time, wake up! Please. We need you. Wake up, right now!”

**“The Hero of Nothing does have a habit of falling asleep at the most inappropriate moments.”**

“This can’t be happening,” said Wild, his face going pale. “This isn’t possible!”

Malice’s eyes slid to Wild. **“Did you think I would stop at one? That this mongrel was all I would take from you? Again and again, you underestimate what my Master is capable of.”** It laughed. **“Again and again, you fail.”**

“But how?”

**“There is a connection between us. A bond. My Master already lurks within his blood, and it was so very easy to pull on that power, to awaken what was already sleeping within.”**

“A connection?” repeated Warriors.

Hyrule's heart dropped. Bile rose in his throat, making him choke. _No, no, don't tell them! Anything but that! Please, don't tell them that!_

**“Did he not tell you about the curse my Master placed on him?”** said Malice, smirking, relishing every desperate plea in Hyrule's head. **“That the very essence of Ganon flows within his veins, just waiting for the chance to be unleashed back upon the world?”**

Everyone’s eyes returned to Hyrule.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. It hurt to speak, the fever in his blood so hot there should have been burn marks covering his skin. “I couldn’t. I couldn’t say anything. I’m so sorry.”

“All this time,” Four said, his giggling growing louder, his eyes murky. “All this time, we’ve had Ganon with us.”

“That’s not true!” said Hyrule. “That’s not what it means! I’m not - Just because he’s in my blood doesn’t mean I’m his. I’m not!”

**“You are. You will be.”** said Malice. **“I can feel your soul, so close to falling. You’re right at the edge, Hero of Ganon. Only one more push and you’ll be all mine.”**

“Give us your sword,” demanded Warriors, stepping towards him, his own blade still in his hands.

Hyrule stumbled back. “No.”

“Don’t make this more difficult, Hyrule. Please.” Warriors crept closer, grief drenched in his voice. “I just want to help you.”

“Like you were going to help Twilight?” The words escaped Hyrule’s mouth before he could stop them. _My sword is in my hand_ , he realized, the hilt heavy in his hand. _When did that happen? I don’t remember taking it out._ “Stay away from me!”

_How much control of myself do I even have anymore?_

Malice grinned. **“And that’s not his only secret.”**

“Shut up!” screamed Hyrule. His sword swung at Malice, with its never ending smirk. At Warriors, executioner's sword ready in his hands. At Wild, who stared at Hyrule like he was some sort of monster, and at all the others scattered around him.

**“Are you not the least bit curious about what other magic he knows? What he has hiding underneath one of those gloves he refuses to take off? What would you do if I told you - ”**

Time sprung up from the ground, lurching forward, and slapped a hand over its mouth. “Be. Silent.”

Those poisonous, yellow eyes turned to Time, glowing with triumph. Daring him to strike, to hurt, to do his worst.

Time swayed, barely able to stay on his feet, his good eye only half-open. “You and the gods,” he growled. “Always picking on children. No more.”

Then he collapsed back down.

“Time!”

“Shit!”

“Grab him!”

**“Run,”** said Malice, as all eyes looked away from Hyrule. All their backs turned to him for one brief moment. **“Run now.”**

**Unless you want to die?**

He shouldn’t. Deep down, he knew that would be cowardice. That Malice should not be trusted or listened to. But everything burned and his head broke and he didn’t want to die.

Hyrule obeyed.

He turned, bolting away from the others, ignoring as they cried out his name. Past fallen monsters and up the rocky slopes as fast as he could. With every step he took, Malice’s laughter rang in his ears.

**That’s right, hero. Keep running.**

**Don’t stop.**

***

Hyrule scrambled through the long grass, stumbling and tripping until he made his way into the shadows of a forest. Were the others chasing him? Or would they wait until they’d healed up and then track him down? Hunt him like a deer and strike an arrow through his heart. He fought the urge to check over his shoulder. Focused on just putting one foot in front of the other.

_Run. Keep running. Don’t stop running._

But his legs could not go on forever. They rebelled, muscles giving up, sending him tumbling beneath a large tree. His heart thundered, threatening to burst through his chest. No birds chipped in the branches, no shouts or other footsteps coming after him. No sound but his own ragged breathing.

_I’m alone again._

**No, you’re not.**

Hyrule slapped his hands over his ears, curling up on the ground, barely aware that he’d begun to cry. _Goddess, please,_ Hyrule begged. _Hylia, Nayru, Din, Farore. Anyone. Please, don’t let me fall to darkness here. Make it stop. Please!_

**There is no god that will save you now.**

“Go away!” Hyrule screamed. Eyes, yellow and unblinking, were everywhere. On the tree trunks, on the rocky ground, on his skin. Each thought had teeth that ripped into him. “Leave me alone!”

The shadows around him grew, stretching and moving on their own. His own shadow flickered, mouth spreading into a wide grin. Two more yellow eyes opened on its face.

**I see you.**

“NO!” Hyrule scrambled back. “Not you, not again!”

The shadow laughed.

**Give up, hero. There is no escape from me.**

“Stop it.” The words came out weak and broken, tears mixing with the dried blood and mud on his cheeks. “I can’t listen to you. I’m not supposed to. I’m a - a - ”

**A what? Not a knight, or a prince or a person of any worthy lineage. Shall I list what you truly are, Hero of Ganon? Insignificant. Worthless. Hated and hunted and hurt by all those you promised to protect from harm. All you have tried to accomplish has been for nothing.**

Hyrule tore at his skin, desperate to yank out one of the eyes. Fire had replaced his heart, his blood so painfully hot it made him scream.

**I have been part of your fate since the day you were born. A shadow beneath your cradle. An early grave for those that loved you. A smear of blood across the floor of your broken home. I lurked in the candle’s flame when you first picked up a sword and dared defiance. I slithered along your footsteps as you went from dungeon to dungeon collecting a broken power.**

**Then we met and you thought you could be a hero. You slew my Master in a vain attempt to repair your world. A temporary triumph. My Master still won in the end, didn’t he? Left your victory hollow. Meaningless. His curse will never leave your blood, and neither shall I.**

**You will never be free, Hero of Ganon.**

Hyrule grabbed at his face, ready to rip. _I’ll force you out,_ he thought, his nails ready to dig into his eyes. _I’ll make you scream!_

**Do it.**

_I’ll do it!_

**Tear them out and let me in.**

His fingers brushed against something cool and smooth. He pulled it free. A leaf, green and gold, had gotten tangled in his hair.

**What are you waiting for?**

But Hyrule only cradled the leaf in his hand. Memories, like stars in the dark, flickered inside his mind. Playing hide and seek with the fairies. Making flower crowns with both Zeldas. The first winter after Ganon’s defeat, the land covered in fresh snow. Getting leaves tangled in his hair as he played in the woods with a wolfish friend.

**Beg. Break. Burn. You have nothing.**

“That’s not true,” whispered Hyrule, his voice raw from screaming. “I have my world. My home.”

**Home? Is that what you think it is? A barren land where you wander as a pariah?**

“It’s not barren.” Hyrule brought the leaf to his heart. “There are wonders hidden within it. There are kind people, doing the best they can. There are forests that stretch on for days, ponds brimming with wild magic, nights where the stars are so bright you can walk the roads without a lantern. It is dangerous, yes, and unfair, but it is my home.”

**You are a fool.**

“I am,” agreed Hyrule. “But I’m not worthless.” His voice rose, each word gaining strength. “Ganon may be in my blood, but that keeps him from hurting anyone else. Maybe I’m trapped with him, but he’s also trapped with me.”

The shadow snarled, face twisting, yellow eyes blazing in rage. In utter malevolence.

“And I’m not alone, either.” Hyrule continued, placing the leaf in his tunic pocket. He matched the shadow’s glare with one of his own. “I have two friends, two princesses, who have been hurt by evil and yet still face each day with kindness. I have fairy sisters, small and brave, who have never let me down. I have a friend - a brother - who was willing to risk his life and secrets to save mine.”

_And I have a family, as broken we are, who need me now more than ever._

He tipped his head back and looked up, away from the mocking shadow, away from the yellow eyes that howled when he stopped screaming. Through the trees he could see the sky, bright blue, held up by the mountains and the distant, dark tower.

What had the Goddess said? _Search past forests and lakes and a graveyard of metal. Climb to the sky past the clouds, where not even wings can reach._

_I understand what you meant now, Goddess Hylia._ His gaze fell back down to the ground, to where the shadow spat acid at him. _I know what I have to do._

**You are mine! As long as you breathe, my Master has the opportunity to return. To regain such power that none of these other heroes have ever seen. You are nothing but a puppet. A sacrifice. You will die and I will feast on your blood as my Master returns.**

**Your courage is nothing.**

**You are nothing.**

**Give up, hero.**

“Never,” Hyrule vowed, and smashed his hands into the shadow’s eyes.

***

Retuning to the others was no easy task.

Each step back hurt, like the bottom of his boots had been lined with nails, piercing deep. But Hyrule made his feet walk, through the woods and down the rocky slopes. He forced himself to find the other heroes, no matter how long it took.

Malice continued to whisper, insistent, a hot knife jabbed over and over into his head, burning without end.

( **run away. give up. obey** )

_No._

( **they will hate you. betray you. kill you** )

_Maybe. But that won’t stop me from doing what I must. What is right._

_(_ **you are a fool** _)_

Despite the pain, Hyrule smiled _. I’d rather be a fool than a puppet._

By the time he found their camp it was late afternoon, the blue sky slowly beginning to dim. Arguments drifted on the wind, guiding Hyrule to them. No fire had been lit, no bedrolls laid out. Just a temporary place for rest. Hyrule broke through the trees that sheltered them just as Wind started to cry.

“I told you, I don’t know! I don’t! Why won’t any of you believe me?”

“Then where is he?” Legend yelled.

“Here,” said Hyrule.

That one word had the others scrambling to their feet, and now Hyrule could see that they’d hastily bandaged their cuts, tied Four’s broken wrist to a rough splint. Even Time seemed more awake. Stamina potions?

Malice spoke first, no binding around its mouth. Maybe they’d forgotten to replace it. Or maybe they were afraid it would hurt Twilight worse if they took away its ability to speak again. **“My favourite hero has returned. How delightful.”**

“I’m not yours,” said Hyrule. He met its eyes and refused to flinch.

Malice smirked. **“Not yet.”**

“Not ever.” Hyrule looked over at the others, at Warriors who’d pushed himself to the front of the group with a shield in hand. “Its okay. I’m still me. Mostly. Here.” He tossed his sword at the Captain’s feet.

Warriors bent down and picked it up. “How did you get rid of it?”

“I didn’t,” said Hyrule. “It’s still in my heart. It's still talking in my head. It won’t shut up. I thought…I thought it was me, but its not. I won’t hurt you. You’re my family. Even if you try to kill me, I won’t run anymore.”

“No one is killing anyone,” said Time. “I promise.”

Wild and Wind each gripped Legend’s arms, keeping the veteran locked in place. Sky stood by Four, the two slowly inching around the edge of the camp, as though to block Hyrule in case he tried to make another run for it.

“I won’t run,” Hyrule said again to the other heroes. To Malice. “No matter what.”

( **and so what? you’ll tell them the truth?** )

_Yes._ “There were things I found out that I couldn’t say. Didn’t say ‘cause I thought you’d all hate me. And maybe you will, but I need to tell them. I need to explain everything because that’s the only way we’ll save Twilight.” Hyrule stared at Malice, looked past the yellow eyes, and pictured his friend. Still in there. Still fighting. Still screaming. “And I don’t know how much more time we have before we’ll lose him forever.”

**“Very little,”** said Malice. **“By sunrise tomorrow, he will be all mine. Just as you shall soon be.”**

A wave of pain, a new blast of fire, spread down Hyrule’s veins. He bit down on his lip to keep himself from screaming.

“Hyrule!”

“I’m fine,” he said. “I can still stand.” Hyrule glared at Malice. “You won’t control me, not ever again.”

**“Bold words,”** said Malice. **“What makes you think you can win? What makes you so certain I won’t devour your soul?”**

“Because I know where you’re hiding,” said Hyrule. “I understand what _she_ meant, and I know exactly what to do to burn you out for good.”

**“And how will you do that, Hero of Ganon?”**

“With this.” Hyrule pulled off one of his gloves and held up his left hand. Held up the Triforce, its power bright and blinding, for all the others to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 35th Anniversary, Legend of Zelda!
> 
> It seems fitting that, on today, this chapter ends with a slightly more hopeful note. The final confrontation is coming up soon, after all. It's time for our heroes to start striking back.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read, left kudos and comments on this fic!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyrule had expected pain. For his chest to squeeze so hard his lungs would burst. For every fear he’d carried to come crashing down onto his heart. But, in that brief second of shocked silence, he felt nothing but relief. His left hand, somehow, did not tremble. The golden glow of the Triforce filled the small camp, casting its light on each face. Every terrible burden he’d hidden from them was out in the open now. No more secrets to worry over. Nothing left for Malice to reveal.

Hyrule had expected pain. For his chest to squeeze so hard his lungs would burst. For every fear he’d carried to come crashing down onto his heart. But, in that brief second of shocked silence, he felt nothing but relief. His left hand, somehow, did not tremble. The golden glow of the Triforce filled the small camp, casting its light on each face. Every terrible burden he’d hidden from them was out in the open now. No more secrets to worry over. Nothing left for Malice to reveal.

( ** _you should not have done that_** )

_Why? So you could reveal it instead?_ Hyrule’s eyes met Malice’s from across the camp. That smug, sinister smile was gone, irritation flickering in its yellow eyes.

( ** _fine then. let’s see how long you last before you run_** )

“That’s…” Warriors struggled to speak, pointing at Hyrule’s left hand. “That’s the Triforce. All of it. Together.”

“So that’s what it looks like,” said Four, taking a step forward. Hyrule forced his legs to stay still, to not yank his hand or hide himself behind the nearest tree. The smith held a hand out towards it. “It feels warm,” he said, “Like the magic Dot can use.” The golden light drifted over his face, the soft glow shifting his eyes from a mixed up, muddy colour to equal parts of green, red, blue and violet, all perfectly balanced. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes,” said Sky, a sad smile on his face, a hand over his heart. “It is.”

“All this time?” Wild shook his head in disbelief. “You’ve been carrying that around on your hand all this time?”

Hyrule nodded. “Since I gathered all the pieces and saved Aurora.” No more lies or half-truths. If they wanted to win this and save Twilight, then he had to trust them with everything.

“You should have gotten rid of it after your second quest was complete,” said Time. “You shouldn’t still be holding onto it. No one should.” The fingers on his own left hand started to tremble. “That much power is better left broken.”

“The princesses tried that before,” said Hyrule. “But it didn’t work. It wasn’t safe in pieces, not in my world.” Not with all of Ganon’s minions still swarming the land, eager for any chance to regain control.

Wind clenched his hands into fists. “Is that why you were so mad at me? You thought I’d steal it? That I’d cut off your hand in the middle of your night and run away with all the pieces like a - a - a thief?”

“You wouldn’t have been the first person to try,” said Hyrule. Monsters, knights, traveling merchants. Ordinary folk desperate for power and wealth. A thousand different attempts, no matter how much Hyrule tried to keep it hidden.“I’ve spent a long time running. From monsters. From people. I couldn’t…no, I didn’t know how to trust anyone else. Not with a secret this big.”

Wind flinched. “I wouldn’t steal it,” he said, anger bleeding into hurt. “I’d never do something like that.”

“None of us would,” said Legend, eerily calm. “And we’d have stopped anyone who wanted to try.” He wouldn’t met Hyrule’s eyes.

“You knew,” said Hyrule, staring at the veteran. “You knew this whole time I had it, didn’t you?”

Legend nodded. Guilt flickered across his face. “Since the day we met. It was pretty obvious, ‘Rule. I’ve used that thing enough times to recognize what its magic feels like.”

“Especially since you have magic of your own,” added Hyrule. _No wonder he always knew when I’d cast a spell, or when I’d pushed my power too far. All this time, and he never said a word. He kept it secret for me._

“Yeah.” Legend crossed his arms. “That helped too.”

**“So much power, wasted on your skin.”** said Malice. **“All the more reason for my Master to covet you. All the better for His plans when you fall.”**

Which reminded Hyrule of his other, terrible secret he still had to explain. “I need to tell you about what it meant before. About my blood.” He swayed, what little energy he had almost gone. “I need to tell you everything while I’m still me.” _Just in case I do lose to Malice. Just in case they have to stop me._

“Whatever else you have to say, you can do so sitting down.” Time held out a hand. “Come here. You look ready to collapse.”

**“Just like that?”** sneered Malice. **“After all you’ve learned, you’d bring something so tainted into your fold?”**

“I told you, I will not blame children for any of this. Not for the secrets they chose to carry, or for any terrible fates that have been struck across their souls.”

Hyrule stared at the outstretched hand. None of the others moved. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I didn’t think my secrets would cause this much trouble. You have every right to hate me - ”

“I don’t,” said Time, gentle and weary. Like he too carried a fierce and horrible secret. “I understand, Hyrule. I understand all too well.”

Hyrule reached out and hesitantly, took Time’s hand. Half of him still expected it to be a trick. A trap. The moment where a dagger would appear in Time’s other hand and become embedded in Hyrule’s back.

But nothing like that happened.

**“And the rest of your group?”** Malice looked around at the other heroes. **“None of you seem to share your so-called leader’s misplaced trust.”**

They stayed quiet. Thinking. No one moved to stop Hyrule as Time lead him into the group, helping him to sit down. No one moved closer to him, either. Hyrule couldn’t blame them. Keeping the Triforce secret was one thing. Having Ganon’s power infecting his blood was another.

But they were waiting. Listening. Willing, maybe, to still trust him.

( ** _they’ll kill you the moment you close your eyes_** )

_Shut up._

Hyrule took in a deep breath. “It’s a curse,” he said. He leaned back against a tree, his whole body aching from running and searching and fighting his own mind.

Sky flinched. “Curse?” he repeated.

“Spat at me with his last breath,” Hyrule explained. “When I killed Ganon, he wasn’t happy. If I die and my blood’s sprinkled on his ashes, then it can be used as a sacrifice. It could bring him back to life.”

**“Mine,”** said Malice.

Hyrule sent it a sharp glare. “Never.”

“But there’s a cure, right?” said Sky. Hyrule didn’t understand why he looked so sick. So guilty. “There’s a way for you to be free, isn’t there?”

Hyrule shook his head. He’d searched his world, talked with every wise man, witch and Great Fairy he dared to trust. Each gave him the same answer: _this will be part of you until you die._

_This is it,_ he thought. _This is the part where they turn on me. Where they call me monster, raise their swords to slice off my head. This is where they decide to stop being my family._

“Damn, that sucks.” Legend sat down beside Hyrule, and handed him a stamina potion.

“What?” Hyrule nearly dropped the bottle. “That’s all you have to say? Did - did you know I was hiding that too?”

“Nope.” Legend sighed. “But it makes sense. That pig always did want to have the last laugh. Figures he’d do something like this.”

“We’re going to need to have a long conversation after this battle is done,” said Warriors, rubbing a hand down his face. “As much as I want to question you right now, we don’t have the time.”

“Later, then,” said Time. He gestured for the others to come closer. Wild had turned away, Four stood hesitantly beside Sky, and Wind glared at the ground. But none of them moved to hurt him, or cast him out of the group.

“Later,” Hyrule promised.

_It’s not like it was before, but it’s better than I thought it would be. It’s a start._

Legend nudged his shoulder. “Any other secrets we should know about?”

It was a half-joke, an obvious opening if Hyrule wanted to hold anything back. He thought about doing so for a brief moment, then nodded. “I can use magic to turn myself into a fairy.”

“What?”

“Also, the Goddess Hylia told me how to save Twilight.”

“What the fuck, ‘Rule?”

In between sips of the stamina potion, Hyrule explained everything. The voice. The rising doubts. The fairy flight through the forest and the words of the Goddess. The others listened, the group sitting a little bit closer to one another. A little bit less fractured. Malice said nothing, sneering at them, sending waves of pain burning through Hyrule’s veins.

_That won’t work again. You’re not going to shut me up this time._

“Why is it always a fucking riddle?” groaned Legend, when Hyrule had finished repeating the Goddess Hylia’s words. “Once I’d like an actual, straightforward answer. Just once.”

“At least she’s helping,” said Four.

“The gods can only do so much to affect fate,” said Sky, “Hints, clues, an ear for prayers. Those are all they can offer. The rest is up to us.”

“Its not that cryptic.” Wild stood up and started to pace, tapping at his slate. “She’s talking about the Akkala Tower.” He turned and glared at Malice. “So, that’s where you’re hiding.”

**“Such a clever deduction.”** Malice sneered. **“What makes you so certain that I’m still there? What’s to have stopped me from moving right now?”**

“I don’t think you can,” said Hyrule.

**“Is that so?”** The first note of worry, faint but true, wavered in its voice. That sneering, poisonously smug facade began to slip.

Hyrule thought back to playing in the leaves with Wolfie. To the Guardian, broken and cracked on the ground, one of its legs missing. “You were in bad shape when I saw you. I bet it took all your energy just to get to the top of the tower. You thought you’d be safe there, didn’t you? You thought you could rest up there and watch us destroy each other from a safe distance.”

Malice’s lips curled into a scowl.

“And now you’re stuck there,” continued Hyrule. His blood was boiling again, the temperature beneath his skin rising as Malice’s scowl worsened, but he didn’t care. “It must take a lot of energy to keep both bodies under your control. Especially with Twilight fighting you every step of the way. Add all those other monsters you’ve infected and have to manage…”

**“You don’t know anything,”** it snarled.

“I know what it feels like to have your magic - your stamina - drained away,” said Hyrule. “You were hoping you’d get us to hurt each other so that you wouldn’t have to. Because you can’t.”

( ** _be silent!_** )

Fire ignited in Hyrule’s veins, a blast of heat so painful it turned his vision black. The world left, only to return a few minutes later, with Legend gripping his shoulder hard enough to bruise.

  
“Hyrule! Hyrule, can you hear me?”

“Yeah,” said Hyrule. He could taste blood on his bottom lip from where he must have bitten it, but even as the pain continued to burn he met Malice’s eyes and grinned. “I hear you, Legend. I’m okay.”

_That’s why you wanted me to run,_ he thought. _Are you scared now? I hope so. Because I am coming for you, and I am going to make you pay for all of this._

Wind jumped up. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go right now and kick its ass!"

“Don’t be reckless,” said Warriors. “It might be immobile, but that doesn’t mean it will be unprotected.”

“More monsters,” said Four, shuddering.

“Yes,” said Warriors, “and whatever other tricks it has lying in wait. We need a plan.”

**“I’m listening,”** said Malice, smirking.

“No, you’re not!” Legend moved behind Malice, shoving its head down and slamming his hands over its ears, pressing hard. “There! Plan quick, before this bastard can figure it out.”

“How far away is this tower?” asked Time, speaking fast.

Wild pointed to south, past the trees and up a distant, rocky mountain side. Even from where he sat, Hyrule could make out the outline of the tower. “About four hours? Five? Quickest way would be climbing up the Kanalet Ridge.”

“Enemies?” asked Sky.

“Last time I was there, bokoblins, moblins and Flying Guardians. None of them were infected, but that’s probably changed now. Especially if it’s scared we’re coming after it.”

( ** _you think I fear you? pathetic_** )

Hyrule’s head snapped up. “How did you - ” He shoved his thumbs into his own ears, then dropped his gaze to the floor. “You’re not using me to listen in either.”

( ** _but then how will you know what they’re saying? what they’re planning?_** )

“I’m just going to have to trust their plan.”

( ** _you’ve given up all your secrets, and now you’ve made yourself even more vulnerable. you deserve whatever betrayal they’re planning. the knife they’ll carve into your back_** )

“I told you, I’m not believing you anymore,” Hyrule said. The heat pulsing through him made him dizzy, the world tilting as he tried to keep his eyes focused on the ground. The sounds around him were faint, barely recognizable, and he pressed even harder into his ears to further muffle them. “Hurt me as much as you want, it won’t work. I won’t ever be your puppet.”

( ** _then burn_** )

Hyrule couldn’t stop himself from screaming.

An eternity later, the pain finally ebbed away - not gone, never gone, not with Malice still alive - clearing his vision, loosening his chest that let him breathe.

( ** _is this what you want? endless suffering? I shall happily grant it to you_** )

_Shut up,_ thought Hyrule, gritting his teeth. _Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

Someone lightly touched his shoulder, moved up and gently pried one of Hyrule’s hands away from his ears. “Hyrule,” whispered Four, “Its okay. The others moved away to plan. You don’t need to do that anymore.”

Taking in a deep, ragged breath, Hyrule lowered his hands, lifted his gaze to see that most of the others had left. Only Legend and Four had stayed behind. “Is that safe?”

“Probably not,” said Legend, still squeezing his hands against Malice’s ears, glaring down at the monster in absolute loathing. “But it’s safer than talking here in front of it.”

Even with its yellow eyes forced down at mud and grass, Malice continued to smirk. **“What? Am I not allowed to talk with the Hero of Ganon? Are you jealous, Hero of Delusions? Eager for my attention?”**

“You want to talk?” said Legend. “Then let’s talk. I have a list of things to say to you.”

“You should have gone with them,” said Hyrule, as Legend began to fill the air with a long string of very creative curses.

Four shook his head. “I think I can be of more use here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Four bit his lip. His eyes were still split into the different colours, and for a moment it looked like they’d swirl together again. But they flickered down at Hyrule’s left hand, at the Triforce with its faint golden glow, and he took in a deep breath. “I know what it’s like to not be alone in your head,” he explained. “And while none of mine - none of the parts of me - are evil, they can be loud. Distracting. Disjointed.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Sometimes,” Four admitted. He tapped two fingers against his forehead. “Its like a spiral. One voice starts yelling, and then all the others join in, and suddenly I can’t remember who I am anymore. Or even who they all are. But I fight through it.” His tone shifted, from hesitant to firm, reaching out and squeezing Hyrule’s hand. “I hold onto my heart and my courage, and I stay united. I stay me. And so will you.”

The others stomped back into camp. Hyrule moved to cover his ears again, but Time shook his head. “Plan’s done,” he said. “Whatever we say now is nothing it doesn’t already know.”

Legend removed his hands, but stayed behind Malice. “You sure?”

“Yes.”

**“How kind of you to once again include me in the conversation, Hero of Nothing.”**

“Are we leaving now?” asked Hyrule. He glanced up, towards the mountainside. Just thinking about how much walking they’d have to do - and how fast they’d have to be to make it before sunrise - was exhausting. The stamina potion had helped, but he’d rather save that energy for magic. _Something tells me I’m going to need every bit I have to take Malice down._

“Its a long climb to the top,” said Sky, his sigh echoing how Hyrule felt.

Wild grinned, ferocious. “We don’t have to climb.” He held up the Sheikah Slate. “The towers work like the shrines. We can just teleport straight to the top and nothing can stop us.”

( ** _you are all fools_** )

_What?_

Malice sprung up, bashing its head against Legend, catching the veteran off-guard. Before anyone could get close enough to help, it leapt forward. The ropes binding its hands snapped.

( ** _did you really think such flimsy bonds would hold me forever?_** )

Warriors sprinted forward, sword out. But Malice was faster. It dove at Wild, ripping the Sheikah Slate from the champion’s hands.

( ** _you shouldn’t have taken your eyes off of me_** )

“NO!” screamed Wild. “GIVE THAT BACK!”

( ** _you should have torn out my eyes when you had the chance_** )

Malice laughed, giving them all one last, poisonous grin. Black and purple ooze spread from its hands into the slate, turning its bright, blue light a dark, bloody red. **“See you soon, heroes.”**

Then it vanished, taking the Sheikah Slate along with it.

“No,” said Wild. “It can’t be gone, it can’t be gone - ”

“Focus, Wild!” snapped Time. “We need a new way to get up the mountain. What’s the fastest route?”

“I don’t know.”

“Wild - ”

“My map is on that slate!” Wild nearly screamed the words, gasping for breath, shaking all over. “My weapons, my photos, my memories. Everything! Now it’s gone and Twilight’s gone and it’s all my fault.” He yanked at his hair, ripping at the long strands. “I’m so stupid. I fucked up, I fuck everything up! I failed - ”

“Hey, stop that.” Hyrule reached out and grabbed Wild’s arm. “Its not your fault.”

Wild froze. He didn’t look at Hyrule, but he didn’t push him away either.

"Its not your fault," Hyrule said again, and his heart hurt for reasons that had nothing to do with Malice. 

( ** _no? then whose fault is it?_** )

Hyrule winced, causing everyone to turn to him in concern.

“Its still in your head?” asked Warriors.

“Yeah,” said Hyrule. “Unfortunately.”

( ** _I told you, Hero of Ganon, you will never be free of me_** )

Sky let out a long sigh. “I guess we’re climbing up to the tower, then.”

“How?” Legend ran a hand through his hair. “You said it would take us hours to get there on foot. That'll take too long.”

( ** _better hurry. your mongrel’s running out of time_** )

Malice was right. Night had started to fall. Fireflies began stir, filling the air with their soft light. Shadows grew long as the sunlight started to fade away, turning the world black and red. If Twilight only had until sunrise, then they had to get to the tower as fast as possible.

Hyrule turned to Legend. “I know you probably don’t want me to ask, but do you have any magic that could help?”

Legend shook his head. “Not here. Not outside of my Hyrule.”

“I do,” said Wind.

Everyone turned to him. The youngest hero had something in his hands. Not a sword, but a stick. His baton, Hyrule realized. He stood tall, chin up, ready to argue. Desperate for them all to listen.

“Trust me,” said Wind, pleading. “Please.”

( ** _liar liar liar_** )

“Okay,” said Hyrule, pushing back every paranoid part of his heart. “I trust you.”

“What’s the plan, sailor?” asked Warriors.

Wind held up his baton, eyes bright in the dark. “I’m going to give us a lift up the mountain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did you really think I was going to make it easy for them to get to Malice? that I'd just let Wild use his slate and teleport them up? not in this fic :P 
> 
> get ready for the show down we've all been waiting for: Malice vs the Chain! :D

**Author's Note:**

> I have a tumblr now, so if you wanna chat check me out at: https://thescrapwitch.tumblr.com
> 
> Stay safe and have a great day/night!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


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